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.

Sponsor: Elise M. Stefanik (Republican-NY)April 28, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Blocks universities from getting federal research awards if they take money from certain foreign governments for sensitive research.

Colleges and universities would not get federal research awards for five years if they take money from certain foreign governments for sensitive research. This bill changes current law, which does not have such a clear ban. It aims to limit foreign influence on important research at U.S. schools.

What Would Change

Today, colleges and universities can receive funds from foreign sources for research without an explicit federal law prohibiting them from also receiving U.S. government research and development awards. If this bill becomes law, any U.S. college or university that accepts money from certain foreign governments or their related entities for national security or military-related research would be blocked from receiving federal research and development awards for five years.

Key Provisions

Blocks colleges and universities from getting federal research awards for five years if they take money from certain foreign sources for specific national security or military research.
Defines "foreign source" to include specific governments, entities they own at least 25% of, and their agents.
Lists specific foreign governments whose funding would trigger the prohibition, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Turkey, and Qatar.
Allows the Secretary of State to add more countries to the list of specified foreign governments.
Defines "specified task" as research related to national security or military uses, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum information science.

View on Congress.gov

HR 8559 · 119th Congress · April 28, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 8/10

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.

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity