United States Research Protection Act

This bill clarifies the definition of a malign foreign talent recruitment program under the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act.

The Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act, which was included in the CHIPS and Science Act, prohibits researchers who receive federal funds from participating in malign foreign talent recruitment programs, in which foreign countries incentivize or compensate researchers for activities that present a conflict of interest for the researcher or that are otherwise unauthorized (e.g., sharing proprietary information without proper authorization).

The bill clarifies that these restrictions apply to programs that are sponsored by a foreign country of concern, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill also clarifies that malign foreign talent recruitment programs may involve direct or indirect compensation or incentives from such countries.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service.