APLU Statement on New Efforts to Bolster NIH-Funded Research Security

Washington, DC – Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson today released the following statement regarding research security concerns that National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins raised in testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

“APLU and the public university community appreciate the critical importance of safeguarding NIH-funded biomedical research from undue foreign influence and other malfeasance. As an agency funding and facilitating the world’s most innovative biomedical research, the NIH is one of our nation’s most valuable assets and the research community must work collaboratively to ensure its work is protected as such.

“Public universities support efforts to safeguard the security of that research and to ensure the integrity of the peer review process. We greatly appreciate that public university leaders will serve on the new working group Director Collins announced today to help NIH bolster current efforts and explore additional steps to prevent inappropriate foreign influence in research it funds. The public university community looks forward to continuing to work with both federal science and security agencies to address national security concerns.”