US Can Prevent Research Theft While Also Attracting Foreign Talent, Former DOD Official Says
The U.S. should closely monitor Chinese attempts to steal sensitive information and technology from universities, but not in a way that will sacrifice open academic exchanges, said Christine Fox, a former Defense Department official, speaking during a July 7 Brookings Institution event. She said the threat of trade theft from China is real, but the number of foreign Chinese students and researchers who try to steal technology is just a small percentage of the total.
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“We have to understand these risks, and we need to take steps to mitigate them,” said Fox, a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. “But in my view, it doesn't necessarily mean shutting down all the avenues for international students to come here.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security last month announced a new initiative to improve the agency’s outreach to universities, including more background briefings with researchers on national security and technology risks (see 2206290019). Universities previously have asked for more specific guidance on deemed export controls, which restrict what export-controlled information or technologies they can share with students or employees from certain countries (see 2009010046 and 2005120053).
Fox pointed to a 2019 report issued by the National Science Foundation, which suggested more “stringent” conflict of interest disclosures for foreign researchers and penalties for universities that don’t satisfy those requirements. The NSF also suggested mandatory training for university officials by members of the intelligence community as a prerequisite for securing NSF funding, Fox said. “The point is, there are things that you can do, and this study identified them,” said Fox, the former acting deputy secretary of defense. “There were very tangible things to be done.”
She said universities can put in place safeguards without sacrificing their principles of open and unrestricted research. “That's what it's all about for me. I want the best talent in the United States,” Fox said. “We have to deal with these issues, and that means we have to look at them, we have to address them. But we have to not close ourselves off.”