NSF Director issues letter to colleagues on foreign talent recruitment
A letter from France Córdova, Director of the National Science Foundation, lays out a new policy in the wake of revelations of funded research being co-opted by a foreign power.
"Our science and engineering enterprise . . . is put at risk when other governments endeavor to benefit from the global research ecosystem without upholding the values of openness, transparency, and reciprocal collaboration. . . .
"[W]e are issuing a policy making it clear that NSF personnel and IPAs detailed to NSF cannot participate in foreign government talent recruitment programs. There is a risk that participation in foreign government talent recruitment programs by NSF personnel and IPAs will compromise the ethical principles that bind us. Moreover, such participation poses significant risks of inappropriate foreign influence on NSF policies, programs, and priorities, including the integrity of NSF's merit review process—risks we simply cannot accept."