Scrutiny

From CBS News: Major U.S. universities have received millions of dollars in funding from foreign entities that are on U.S. government watch lists, according to a CBS News review of university funding records submitted to the Department of Education.

...Universities have been required to disclose foreign gifts of $250,000 or more to the Department of Education under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act since 1986. But disclosures sometimes lapsed and there was no government system in place for accountability, according to current and former State and Education Department officials, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and independent analysts who track Section 117 compliance. 

They say no one was cross-referencing the donors against U.S. government watch lists, allowing for institutions directly linked to foreign militaries to fund programs and professorships at R-1 universities. National security and intelligence analysts say the stakes are high, and increased scrutiny on funding from China flowing to programs at top American universities is better late than never...

Among the watch-listed entities putting money into U.S. universities, the majority of which is from China, is Aviation Engine Corporation of China, known as AECC, which develops engines for various Chinese military aircraft, including the J-11 fighter jet and the Z-10 attack helicopter. Given the AECC's direct ties to the People's Liberation Army, the Treasury Department lists it on the Foreign Assets Control List as well as another list of companies tied to the Chinese military-industrial complex. It is considered a "Military End-User Entity" by the Department of Commerce, making it subject to strict export licensing requirements.

AECC's research institutes paid Northwestern University, the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Connecticut a combined $7.8 million, according to the universities' records submitted to the Department of Education. The money was sent in multiple increments over several years. ...UC Irvine received almost $4 million in contracts between 2018 and 2020, according to the records. UC Irvine did not respond to CBS News' requests for comment. 

...UC Berkeley, which manages the Department of Energy's primary high-performance computing facility, has received more than $25 million in contracts dating back to 2016 from China-based entities that are on U.S. government watch lists, according to disclosures to the Department of Education. That includes a grant of $7.6 million from Sun Yat-sen University, host of China's National Supercomputing Center. Sun Yat-sen University also appears on the Department of Defense's "1286 List," a roster of foreign academic and research institutions identified as engaging in "problematic activities," and a Commerce Department list of entities whose legitimacy the U.S. government has been unable to verify. UC Berkeley did not respond to CBS News' request for comment...

Full story at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/universities-foreign-funding-government-watch-lists/.