In July 2018, NIH began contacting research institutions nationwide with questions regarding potential foreign influence on NIH-funded extramural research. The China Initiative (U.S. Department of Justice) ended in February 2022, during which the NIH Office of Extramural Research approached approximately 100 U.S. institutions. In August 2022, NIH reported that of n=241 cases, n=167 had failed to disclose foreign grant support, participated in foreign talents programs (n=128), and/or been party to other forms of foreign interference. NIH reported n=202 serious violations of any sort. Two individuals were indicted, three were convicted, and two false-claims civil cases were settled. None of these seven cases was at the University of Minnesota.

Perspectives and outcomes surrounding the broader China Initiative, and particularly its effects on scientists of Chinese descent working in the United States, continue to emerge in leading scientific journals, e.g., Nature, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, and Science. Biomedical research at The Hormel Institute and the University of Minnesota is aimed at improving human health and wellbeing worldwide. Our discoveries, strengthened through both diversity of thought and international collaborations, are peer-reviewed and published in the public domain, with appropriate attribution to those who contributed to each study. 

In May 2019, NIH contacted the University of Minnesota regarding the activities of a scientist at The Hormel Institute at that time, Dr. Zigang Dong. The University responded to NIH in a timely and appropriate manner. Dr. Dong stepped down from his role at The Hormel Institute in May 2019 and resigned from the University of Minnesota in November 2019. These and related events at the University of Minnesota were reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune and the Austin Daily Herald (article and opinion).

The University of Minnesota and The Hormel Institute have no current affiliation with the China-US (Henan) Hormel Cancer Institute in China. Several cease and desist letters were sent to the institute in China requesting it to stop using the Hormel name. Similarly, the University of Minnesota and The Hormel Institute have no affiliation with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, nor with the Beijing Genomics Institute, two biomedical research institutions in China that have raised concerns at US federal agencies. Research is conducted with the commitment of The Hormel Institute and the University of Minnesota to compliance with federal disclosure, security, export controls, and sanctions rules. NIH policies on foreign interference and the University of Minnesota guidance on foreign influence are available publicly.