A proposed United States government rule that could sharply restrict federally funded research collaboration with China has sparked concern among academics, with critics warning it could bring US and Chinese scientific communities close to a "near-complete decoupling".
The Office of Management and Budget, part of the Executive Office of the President, published the proposed rule in May as part of a significant revision of rules governing federal financial assistance and sponsored research, including federal research grants.
The rule was originally scheduled to take effect on Oct 1. But earlier this month, the US Senate passed a bipartisan continuing resolution blocking it from being finalized or enforced until Dec 11.
Under the proposal, political appointees would have greater authority over grant awards traditionally guided by scientific peer review. It cites the Wolf Amendment, which bars scientists from using NASA funding for bilateral collaboration with China, as a model for government-wide restrictions on foreign research collaboration.
Scientific, research, policy and education groups have warned that the proposal could effectively prohibit federal funding for US scientific collaboration with leading Chinese universities and academic institutions.
