To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 to prohibit certain institutions of higher education from receiving research and development awards, and for other purposes.
Sponsored By: Representative Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21]
Introduced
Summary
Blocks federal R&D awards to universities that accept foreign funding for national-security research. The ban would target research tied to artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, and other military-related work and would pause federal award eligibility for five years after receipt of such foreign-source funds.
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- Universities and colleges: Accepting foreign-source funds to carry out a "specified task" would trigger a five-year bar on receiving federal research and development awards.
- Researchers and labs: Projects in AI, biotechnology, and quantum information science would face new limits. Labs that rely on foreign partnerships or funding for those areas could lose access to federal grants tied to those topics.
- Foreign sources and triggers: The prohibition applies when funds come from listed governments or related entities. The named governments include the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, the Republic of Turkey, the State of Qatar, and Venezuela, and it also covers entities owned or controlled by those governments or their agents.
- Federal funders: Agencies that award federal R&D funding would be unable to make awards to affected institutions while the five-year prohibition is in effect.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Limits research grants to foreign-funded colleges
If enacted, this bill would bar a college or university from getting a federal research and development award for five years after it accepts funds from a defined foreign source to do certain work. The covered work is R&D tied to national security or military uses, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum information science. "Foreign source" would include funds from listed governments (Venezuela, North Korea, Iran, China, Cuba, Turkey, Russia, and Qatar), entities set up under those governments' laws, entities at least 25% owned by them, and agents or subsidiaries; the Secretary of State could add more countries. The new section would take effect upon enactment and be added to the NDAA table of contents. The section does not list any exemptions or waivers from the five-year ban.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21]
NY • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]
FL • R
Sponsored 5/11/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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