The Office of Research Protections and Compliance (ORPC) has created FAQs to
identify steps required to comply with university and Federal
regulatory requirements. One of the biggest concerns the Federal
government has identified in dealing with foreign engagements are called
Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs (MFTRPs). MFTRPs are
programs funded by foreign governments to recruit key researchers in
order to collect scientific and technical information that is not yet
published or is otherwise restricted. Currently, the Federal government
has identified China, North Korea, Russia and Iran as state sponsors of
MFTRPs.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
issued guidance on MFTRPs on 2/14/2024 which can be found here: OSTP-Foreign-Talent-Recruitment-Program-Guidelines.pdf (whitehouse.gov).
There are currently a number of pending Federal regulations regarding
participation in MFTRPs that will apply to university grant recipients
who accept Federal grant fundings, to include the CHIPS and Science Act
of 2022, NSPM-33 and NSF PAPPG. The Office of Research Protections and
Compliance (ORPC) is responsible for maintaining compliance with the
applicable MFTRP regulations. If you have been asked to engage in a
foreign collaborative project, please complete this form so that ORPC
may assess if the request possesses any risk of being deemed as an
MFTRP: Foreign Partnership Disclosure Form – Google Forms
For
award seeking faculty members, MFTRP disclosure statements are now
incorporated into the Kuali Conflict of Interest disclosure
questionnaire.