On September 17, 2018, a memo was released by Rafael Bras, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Chaouki T. Abdallah, Executive Vice President for Research, titled "NIH Foreign Influence Memo from Dr. Francis Collins."
Excerpt from Georgia Tech memo: Attached, you will find a letter sent to Georgia Tech and other NIH grant institutions, dated August 23, 2018, from Dr. Francis S. Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, titled "Statement on Protecting the Integrity of U.S. Biomedical Research."
In his letter, Dr. Collins addresses three areas of concern, related to foreign entities that have "mounted systematic programs to influence NIH researchers and peer reviewers to take advantage of a long tradition of trust, fairness, and excellence of NIH-supported research activities." These areas of concern include:
- Failure by some researchers at NIH-funded institutions to disclose substantial contributions of resources from other organizations, including foreign governments, which threatens to distort decisions about the appropriate use of NIH funds;
- Diversion of intellectual property in grant applications or produced by NIH-supported biomedical research to other entities, including other countries; and
- In some instances, sharing of confidential information by peer reviewers with others, including in some instances with foreign entities, or otherwise attempting to influence funding decisions.
Read the full Georgia Tech memo.
Useful Resources
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.: "Statement on Protecting the Integrity of U.S. Biomedical Research." August 23, 2018
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions: Hearing featuring Francis S. Collins, "Prioritizing Cures: Science and Stewardship at the National Institutes of Health." August 23, 2018
