Senator demands details on foreign threats to research grants

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is pushing for more details from the NIH on the agency's efforts to combat foreign threats to American research. In August, NIH Director Francis Collins sent a letter to NIH grantee institutions warning that foreign actors have “mounted systematic programs to influence NIH researchers and peer reviewers.” Agency staff briefed Grassley — the chair of the Judiciary Committee — on the issue earlier this month. Now, Grassley has fired off a letter to the NIH demanding information on the agency's background checks, its "do not use" list preventing individuals who violate agency policy from peer reviewing grant applications, and a list of every instance in which a foreign entity has attempted to influence NIH research and the peer review process.