US National Science Foundation to ban projects with flagged Chinese institutions

The United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF) is set to ban collaborations with Chinese research institutions designated as restricted entities, as well as their employees, under a new policy that moves away from seeking to balance security risks with the benefits of international collaboration.

The policy reflects a broader congressional push by House Republicans to curb academic partnerships between China and the US, amid lawmakers’ concerns that such ties could contribute to Beijing’s military and technological development.

The public notice, posted on the NSF website last week, notified the American research community that agency funds would no longer be used for collaborations with entities on US restricted-party lists, including Chinese universities and research institutions.

John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, called the policy “commendable and commonsense” in a statement following the announcement, adding that it “will protect taxpayer-funded research and innovation”.

“Prohibiting federal funding from being used to collaborate with Chinese entities that are national security risks or human rights abusers is straightforward and all federal agencies should follow the lead of the Pentagon and NSF,” Moolenaar said.

The NSF, a federal agency established by Congress in 1950 that funds scientific research through grants, said the US government determined that these entities warrant restrictions on national security and other foreign policy grounds.