Ohio State University to pay $2.1M settlement over undisclosed China ties

The Ohio State University has agreed to a $2.1 million settlement to resolve federal allegations that it failed to disclose a researcher’s ties to China while receiving taxpayer-funded grants. The Justice Department alleged that between 2012 and 2023, the university failed to properly report affiliations and financial support involving Chinese universities and state-run research organizations in applications and reports submitted to NASA and the National Science Foundation.

The investigation involved a principal investigator, former earth science professor C. K. Shum, who participated in China’s Thousand Talents Program. Ohio State stated that the university self-discovered and investigated Shum’s “inappropriate foreign affiliations” and reported the findings to federal authorities.

As a result of the investigation, the university suspended Shum’s principal investigator privileges, halted spending on relevant federal awards, initiated disciplinary proceedings, and repaid the federal grant funds in question. Shum is no longer employed by the university.