Foreign Influence

Thomas Jefferson University is committed to sustaining an environment that attracts and retains the brightest scholars and most exciting scholarship and likewise is committed to the University’s principles of academic freedom. Our many talented foreign scholars and students are essential to the research and education enterprise on our campuses and we highly value their contributions.

At the same time, like all other institutions of higher education, our University and its faculty must adhere to federal reporting and disclosure requirements. Not doing so could result in loss of federal funding, not only for the individual who failed to report, but for the institution as a whole.

In 2019, the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense issued guidance with respect to those agencies' growing concerns over the potential for foreign influence. Specifically, there is a heightened concern that certain foreign entities may be seeking to influence U.S. research at all levels including peer review, diversion of intellectual property, sharing of confidential information and the use of resources originating outside the U.S. While other federal agencies have not yet provided their own guidance, it is very likely they will follow suit.

Sustained federal research funding is critical to Thomas Jefferson University’s success and impact; therefore, we must comply with existing and new policies and regulations, including those related to full disclosure of foreign engagements, conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment.

Submit your Conflict of Interest (COI) report (no less than annually or within 30 days of acquiring new financial interests) indicating whether you have engaged in outside activities any time during the fiscal year.

To ensure you are in compliance, please review your current disclosures and update your disclosures as necessary as soon as possible to reflect all foreign involvement (past and present).

Learn more on how to disclose internally and externally.

• NIH reminder - reporting foreign activities
• Presidential memorandum - national security (NSPM-33)
• NSPM-33 update - streamlining disclosure standards
• NIH FAQ - other support and foreign components
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Dos, Don’ts, and Maybes of Foreign Entity Relationships A User’s Guide