The U.S. Government, including members of Congress and federal agencies, has expressed serious concerns regarding inappropriate influence by foreign entities, government, or individuals on U.S. institutions and researchers. Concerns of foreign influence are:

• Inappropriate or inadvertent sharing of proprietary information, intellectual property, or data of grant applications, unpublished research, or technologies.
• Sharing of confidential information by researchers serving as peer reviewers of grant applications.
• Failure of researchers to disclose substantial support from outside activities or foreign organizations in grant application Current & Pending forms. There are concerns regarding the failure to follow federal agency requirements to disclose foreign components or foreign collaborations in progress reports or ongoing awards.

Several federal agencies have indicated that failure to disclose foreign relationships and activities may jeopardize eligibility for future funding.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued guidance regarding government-wide foreign interest and activity disclosure requirements in accordance with National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-33): Presidential Memorandum on United States Government-Supported Research and National Security.