Stanford to pay $1.9M to settle allegations of nondisclosed overseas support for faculty members

Stanford University has agreed to pay $1.9 million to the government to settle allegations that it purposefully did not disclose support to faculty members that came from foreign sources. 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday that Stanford University did not disclose pending or current support for 12 faculty members from foreign sources when the institution applied for federal research grants.

From 2015-20, Stanford received grants from the Departments of the Army, Navy and Air Force, NASA and the National Science Foundation, all of which require disclosure of foreign funding to faculty members who receive the grants. 

The DOJ says Stanford “knowingly failed to disclose” the information but did not specify where all the foreign funding came from. The government agency did name one of the sources was from a professor’s employment at Fudan University, which is in China. 

“Universities and their researchers must disclose all sources of current and pending support, including any foreign support, in federal research grant applications,” said Brian M. Boynton, principal deputy assistant attorney general and assistant head of the DOJ’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to ensure that grant applicants submit complete and truthful disclosures, so the government has full transparency into the applicant’s funding sources.”

Stanford has agreed to work with the government to implement best practices in areas the school has violated. 

“We are pleased to have resolved this matter and remain firmly committed to supporting our researchers in meeting federal compliance responsibilities as they pursue their important work,” Stanford said in a statement.

“Stanford takes seriously the threat of foreign governments seeking to undermine U.S. national security. The University strives to be a leader in the research compliance area and is always actively seeking opportunities to enhance our policies and systems to ensure our faculty meets the expectations of our government partners and the public. We treat compliance matters as a high priority and will continue working with the National Science Foundation and other federal funding agencies on best practices in this area,” the school added.