Sponsor
James E. Banks
Senator · R-IN
Senator · R-IN
The bill tightens controls on foreign research collaborations to reduce national-security risks and standardize compliance, but it also raises substantial compliance costs, funding risks, and uncertainty for researchers and institutions.
Researchers and state research institutions will be less likely to share sensitive technology or data with sanctioned or restricted foreign entities, reducing the risk of theft or misuse of U.S.-origin research.
OSTP-led, government-wide guidance will create standardized compliance rules so award recipients face less uncertainty about which foreign collaborations are permitted.
Agencies can grant narrow waivers for collaborations essential to public health or critical scientific work, allowing important projects and health-related research to continue despite restrictions.
Researchers and universities may face broad, agency-defined interpretations of 'research collaboration' that create major compliance burdens and potential legal exposure for routine activities like co-authorship or data sharing.
Scientists and universities could lose funding or be barred from existing collaborations with entities on the covered lists, disrupting research projects and academic partnerships.
Applying restrictions to a broad set of government lists and allowing agencies to add lists could unpredictably limit partnerships and raise administrative and compliance costs for universities, labs, and health systems.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars federal research award funds from supporting collaborations with entities or individuals on enumerated U.S. restricted-entity lists and requires OSTP guidance and narrow agency waivers with congressional notice.
Official title: Prohibit certain federally funded research collaborations with certain foreign entities, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 14, 2026 by James E. Banks · Last progress May 14, 2026
Prohibits use of federal research award funds for collaborations with entities or individuals appearing on specified U.S. government restricted entity lists. Requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), with agency input, to issue government-wide guidance defining covered awards, participants, and compliance; allows agency heads to grant narrow, documented waivers for national security or essential scientific/public-health purposes with a 30-day congressional notification requirement.