Advertisement More than Innovation and Competition: The Latest Proposed Monitoring and Enforcement Mechanisms Targeting Foreign Influence in U.S. Research Thursday, July 1, 2021 I. INTRODUCTION On 8 June 2021, the Senate passed an expansive bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing the country’s scientific research and development capabilities. In response to emerging technological competition from foreign innovation sources, the U.S. Innovation & Competition Act (USICA) contemplates devoting US$250 billion to the National Science Foundation, thereby ensuring that the United States maintains its “position as the most innovative and productive nation on Earth.” 1 Yet this recent bill is more than just a financial incentive to innovate. Importantly for funding recipients, including research institutions and academic medical centers, this legislation contains significant research security measures to safeguard American technology and intellectual property. These proposed measures would formally exclude researchers who participate in foreign talent recruitment programs from participating in federally funded research projects. The bill would also augment the government’s pre-award scrutiny of federal grants and other transactions involving potential foreign partnerships. In addition, the bill would enhance the government’s post-award accountability tools for penalizing disclosure violations that have formed the core of a series of criminal investigations at U.S. institutions in recent years.