Ohio State University (OSU) agrees to pay a US$2.1 million settlement to resolve civil allegations that it failed to disclose employees’ ties to China when applying for federal research grant funding, the U.S. Department of Justice announces. The settlement is tied to NASA and National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that supported the university from November 2012 to August 2023.
The allegations involve required disclosures related to “foreign…” ties and support connected to employees’ affiliations with the People’s Republic of China. One outlet reports that the issue concerns a climate scientist associated with Beijing’s Thousand Talents foreign expert recruitment program. Other accounts describe the matter more generally as failing to report employee affiliations and support from China connected to the NASA and NSF grants.
The reports reflect the same core DOJ position: OSU does not comply with disclosure requirements tied to federal grant applications, and the dispute ends through a civil settlement rather than a criminal case. The outlets largely differ in the level of detail they provide about the individual researcher and the specific program involved.
