# Plain Language Summary: Higher Education Research Protection Act of 2021

This bill creates a new FBI unit specifically focused on investigating foreign spies working in American colleges and universities. The law establishes what's called the "Higher Education Initiative" within the FBI's Office of Private Sector, which will have its own assistant director and dedicated staff. The main job of this new unit is to look for situations where researchers at colleges or research institutions are secretly working on behalf of foreign governments while receiving U.S. federal funding for their research.

The bill requires the FBI to hire 56 new investigators specifically to handle these cases and instructs FBI field offices across the country to actively reach out to colleges and universities in their areas to educate them about foreign espionage threats. The law specifically names China and its various government entities as a concern, defining "foreign government" to include the Chinese Communist Party and related Chinese government bodies. The initiative will also monitor the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, which are prestigious research organizations.

This affects college professors, researchers, graduate students, and anyone involved in federally funded research at universities. If you work in higher education research, you might see increased FBI outreach and awareness campaigns on your campus about protecting research from foreign interference. The law is set to expire after ten years, meaning Congress would need to renew it if they want it to continue beyond that timeframe. While the stated purpose is protecting American research from foreign espionage, the focus on China and the expansion of FBI presence on campuses could also affect how international researchers and collaborations are viewed and managed at American universities.

Higher Education Research Protection Act of 2021

Barr, Andy

Higher Education Research Protection Act of 2021 This bill establishes within the Federal Bureau of Investigation an initiative to investigate suspected incidents of Chinese agents participating in federally funded research at institutions of higher education and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.