The U.S. Department of Education is investigating what it calls “inaccurate and incomplete disclosures” of foreign funding at the University of Michigan, a public university.
Paul Moore, the department’s chief investigative counsel, wrote to Domenico Grasso, the school’s interim president, that Michigan is legally required to disclose foreign gifts of at least $250,000 annually, and failure to do so could result in civil action from the U.S. Justice Department.
“Despite the University of Michigan’s history of downplaying its vulnerabilities to malign foreign influence, recent reports reveal that UM’s research laboratories remain vulnerable to sabotage, including what the U.S. Department of Justice recently described in criminal charges as ‘potential agroterrorism’ by Chinese nationals affiliated with UM,” Moore stated. (JNS sought comment from the university.)
“Unfortunately, tens of millions of dollars in foreign funding in UM’s disclosure reports have been reported in an untimely manner and appear to erroneously identify some of UM’s foreign funders as ‘nongovernmental entities,’ even though the foreign funders seem to be directly affiliated with foreign governments,” he added.
The public school’s Center for Chinese Studies “continues to engage in substantial research collaborations with Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University and Zhejiang University—all universities deeply involved in China’s emerging science and technology research efforts directly linked to military programs,” Moore wrote.
