NSF grant officer banned after undisclosed ties to Chinese talent programs

Tao Li worked as a programme officer for the National Science Foundation between 2015 and 2017, where he oversaw the allocation of research grants in areas such as hardware, software and algorithms. Unreleased documents reveal that during this period he participated in two Chinese government talent programmes, one of which was the Dragon Star initiative, and did not disclose this involvement to NSF. The FBI has cautioned that these programmes may incentivise participants to misappropriate foreign knowledge or technology, and it first raised concerns about Li to NSF officials in 2019, according to a former CIA analyst who attended the meeting.

The NSF’s Office of Inspector General opened an investigation based on the FBI tip, a probe that lasted roughly seven years before concluding. The investigation’s outcome barred Li from receiving U.S. research funding and identified at least seven other scientists who also omitted their Dragon Star affiliations when awarded grants. The case highlights growing vigilance over foreign influence in American scientific research funding.