The NIH is investigating 55 research centers where foreign scientists are suspected of trying to steal U.S-funded biomedical research and bring the innovations back to their own countries.
The number of research institutions flagged has increased nearly five-fold over a few months, and the National Institutes of Health is working with the FBI on many of the cases. It’s unclear how many scientists are under investigation at each institution. The spike has prompted concerns of undue foreign influence on billions of taxpayer-funded research at the NIH. More than 80 percent of the NIH’s $39.1 billion budget pays for research grants ...