UCF Research

Inappropriate Foreign Influence

The U.S. Government, including several federal agencies that fund UCF’s research, has expressed concerns regarding inappropriate influence by foreign entities, foreign governments, and foreign individuals on U.S. institutions and researchers. This is commonly referred to as foreign influence. The Florida State Legislature has also expressed these concerns.

Key concerns related to inappropriate foreign influence include, but are not limited to:

The failure of researchers to disclose support from outside activities or foreign organizations.
Unlawfully sharing non-public information by researchers.
Unlawful transfer of U.S. intellectual property, data, or unpublished research results.
Unlawful transfer of research materials and samples.
Agreements with foreign entities that may impose obligations on researchers that are contrary to university policies and/or federal and state laws and regulations.
Data security and cyberattack vulnerabilities.

The above concerns impact all types of scholarly activity, including, but not limited to, research, student engagement, and intellectual property protection. Inappropriate foreign influence can have a major impact on the integrity of UCF and UCF’s ability to obtain federal funding.

What is an example of inappropriate foreign influence?

An example of inappropriate foreign influence includes participation in a foreign government talent/recruitment program and failing to disclose participation in that program in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Such programs are generally defined as foreign state-sponsored attempts to acquire U.S. scientific-funded research or technology through foreign government-run or funded recruitment programs. Unfortunately, a number of foreign government talent/recruitment programs are intertwined with the concerns outlined above.

Pursuant to the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, UCF prohibits (1) UCF employees and (2) individuals applying for or receiving federal funding through UCF, from participating in a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP). For more information on MFTRPs please see: https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ167/PLAW-117publ167.pdf. For questions regarding MFTRPs, please contact OICEC@ucf.edu.