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.