University of Arizona's Dr. Betsy Cantwell Meets with Senator Kelly on Foreign Influence

On Wednesday June 9, Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation, Betsy Cantwell, sat down with Senator Kelly in Washington to discuss growing concerns over foreign influence at American research universities. As Congress develops policies to address these concerns, having university leadership at the table will be critical to ensuring those policies are both effective and not unnecessarily burdensome. Dr. Cantwell addressed the need for a broad, cross-agency federal policy to replace the existing system where each federal agency has unique forms, procedures, and requirements. Senator Kelly, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been vocal about the need for effective strategies to combat intellectual property theft and safeguard innovation from foreign threats. Dr. Cantwell and the Senator also spoke on the need to develop a stronger domestic pipeline of scientists, engineers, and researchers, so that the US does not fall behind in our global scientific leadership.