Ohio State University to pay $2.1 million over undisclosed China research ties

The Ohio State University has agreed to a $2.1 million settlement with the U.S. federal government to resolve allegations that it failed to disclose a professor’s affiliations with China while receiving federal research funding.

The settlement addresses claims that the university did not reveal former earth science professor C. K. Shum’s participation in China’s Thousand Talents Program. Between November 2012 and August 2023, Shum received funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) without the university disclosing these foreign government ties to the agencies.

According to the Department of Justice, Ohio State’s own faculty reports identified affiliations with Chinese universities and state-run research organizations as early as 2014, but the information was not disclosed to NASA or the NSF until 2023. The university stated that it has since suspended Shum’s privileges, halted spending on the relevant awards, initiated disciplinary proceedings, and repaid the federal funds in question. Shum is no longer employed by the university.