Ohio State University Pays $2.1 Million Over Undisclosed Ties

The Ohio State University has agreed to pay $2.1 million following allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice. The allegations claimed that the university did not disclose certain foreign affiliations while seeking taxpayer-funded research grants.

Allegations and Investigation

The Justice Department accused Ohio State of failing to report ties to Chinese institutions. This included financial support linked to Chinese universities and research bodies within grant applications submitted to NASA and the National Science Foundation between 2012 and 2023. Part of these allegations mentioned involvement with China’s Thousand Talents Program.

The Ohio State University discovered and reported researcher C.K. Shum’s foreign connections on its own.

Ohio State stated that they identified and reported the foreign ties themselves. C.K. Shum, the researcher in question, is no longer working at the university. The university has revoked Shum’s privileges as a principal investigator, halted spending connected to the related federal awards, and started disciplinary actions.

Ohio State stresses their commitment to national security. The university has procedures to ensure research integrity and security. This includes compliance offices, systems for conflict-of-interest disclosures, and training programs on foreign influence and research security.

Federal Response

The Department of Justice noted in a press release that the grant applications required universities to disclose any international ties. From 2014, OSU’s annual Faculty Activity Reports acknowledged affiliations with Chinese entities, but this information was not shared with NASA or the NSF.

In 2019, Ohio State became aware of the involvement of a researcher tied to NASA-funded projects in China’s Thousand Talents Program. However, they did not inform NASA and NSF until 2023.

The federal government has described the Thousand Talents Program as an initiative backed by Beijing to attract expertise and intellectual property. The Justice Department found that other OSU employees working on the grants had relationships with Chinese organizations or received funding from them.

University Obligations

Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, commented that American universities benefiting from federal research support must fully disclose any foreign financial ties in their applications. He stated that the Justice Department would hold accountable those who fail to comply with these disclosure requirements.