Federal funding agencies, including the Department of War (DoW) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), prohibit or strictly regulate affiliations and collaborations with specific foreign organizations, institutions, and individuals. These federal policies assess foreign influence, research security risks, and foreign entities that engage in malign activities or appear on U.S. government restricted party lists.

To maintain compliance and protect research integrity, Rice faculty, researchers, and administrators are encouraged to work with the Office of Research Security and Export Controls (RSEC) to evaluate potential international collaborations, appointments, and foreign affiliations against official federal guidance to identify prohibited entities prior to proposal submission and award execution.

Primary Review Resources

RSEC reviews affiliations and collaborations against the following federal lists to screen for prohibited entities and assess research security risk:

NSF Dear Colleague Letter (NSF 26-022) — Appendix A: U.S. Proscribed Party Lists

The National Science Foundation prohibits NSF funds from being expended on collaborations with entities on U.S. restricted party lists. Appendix A consolidates key federal proscribed lists across multiple U.S. government agencies (Commerce, Treasury, State, Defense/War, DHS, FCC, and CBP).

View NSF Dear Colleague Letter & Appendix A

2026 DoW Component Decision Matrix to Inform Fundamental Research Proposal Mitigation Decisions

The Department of War uses this framework to evaluate fundamental research proposals, assess risk factors associated with foreign engagements, and determine appropriate mitigation measures or entity prohibitions.

Download 2026 DoW Component Decision Matrix (PDF)

Examples of Prohibited Foreign Entities

Below are representative examples of foreign entities listed by the DoW under Section 1286 of the NDAA (for a complete and up-to-date listing of prohibited entities, consult official DoW policy guidance):

• Beijing Institute of Technology
• Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA) / Beihang University
• Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT)
• Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics
• Chinese Academy of Sciences – Institute of Physics
• Chinese Academy of Sciences – Shenyang Institute of Automation
• Chongqing University of Technology
• Fudan University
• Harbin Engineering University
• Harbin Institute of Technology
• Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
• Nanjing University of Science and Technology
• Shandong University
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• Shariff University of Technology
• Sun Yat-Sen University
• Tianjin University
• University of Science and Technology China (USTC)

Action Required for Rice Researchers

RSEC recommends a Foreign Influence (FI) Risk Assessment before establishing a formal or informal collaboration, accepting a foreign appointment or financial support, or sharing research data with an international institution in or from a country of concern. FI Risk Assessment can be requested via the RSEC Intake.