Ohio State University has agreed to pay the Justice Department $2.1 million for allegedly failing to disclose some ties to China in its applications for federal research funding, the department announced Monday.
Ohio State learned in 2019 that a professor was participating in the Thousand Talents Program established by China to recruit people with knowledge of or access to foreign technology intellectual property, according to the Justice Department. Heworked on research that received grants from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Ohio State reported the results of its investigation to both agencies in 2023. The Justice Department contends certain grant applications did not disclose ties to China.
The settlement is not an admission of liability by Ohio State.
A spokesman for the university said that after investigating, Ohio State took disciplinary steps against the professor, who is no longer employed at the school, halted spending on the relevant federal awards and repaid the federal grant funds in question. He said the university has cooperated with federal authorities throughout the investigation.
“Ohio State takes national security seriously,” spokesman Christopher Booker wrote in an email that included multiple examples of safeguards, “and the university has long been recognized for its efforts to promote research integrity and security.”
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