NSF News December 11, 2019
As part of its ongoing effort to enhance the agency’s understanding of the threats to basic research posed by foreign governments that have taken actions that violate the principles of scientific ethics and research integrity, the NSF today released a report by JASON titled “Fundamental Research Security.” Four main themes emerged from the JASON study: The value of, and need for, foreign scientific talent in the U.S.; The significant negative impacts of placing new restrictions on access to fundamental research; The need to extend our notion of research integrity to include disclosures of commitments and potential conflicts of interest; The need for a common understanding between academia and U.S. government agencies about how to best protect U.S. interests in fundamental research while maintaining openness and successfully competing in the global marketplace for STEM talent. Academic leadership/faculties and government agencies have different understandings of the scope of foreign influence in U.S. basic research, the possible risks and the problems that could arise from efforts to respond to the problem. This needs to be bridged. The report concludes that the problems identified thus far can be addressed within the framework of research integrity…read more.