NIH asks inspector general to investigate 12 allegations of foreign influence in U.S. research

WASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health has referred 12 allegations relating to foreign influence over U.S.-funded research to a federal oversight office, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Wednesday.

Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has repeatedly demanded information from the NIH after the agency revealed in August it was investigating a half-dozen academic institutions — specifically, researchers who may have failed to disclose financial ties to foreign governments.