The Justice Department alleges that, between 2012 and 2023, the university failed to report affiliations and financial support involving Chinese universities and state‑run research organisations in grant applications and reports submitted to NASA and the National Science Foundation.

One of the undisclosed ties involved principal investigator C.K. Shum, who had participated in China’s Thousand Talents Program. Ohio State discovered Shum’s foreign affiliations in 2019, but only reported them to NASA and NSF in 2023. After the report, the university suspended Shum’s principal‑investigator privileges, stopped spending on the related federal awards, and repaid the grant money; Shum is no longer employed at the university.

In a press release, the Department of Justice emphasized that grant applications require universities to share any ties to foreign governments. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said that universities must fully disclose foreign funding to protect research security.

The settlement highlights how missing or delayed disclosures can breach federal grant rules, lead to costly penalties, and raise national‑security concerns. It underscores the need for robust research‑compliance systems that track and report foreign affiliations promptly.