U.S. Funding Yielded Hundreds Of Patents For China-Based Researchers

The U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and other government agencies funded research that led to more than 1,000 U.S. patents for China-based inventors since 2010, including in sensitive fields such as biotechnology and semiconductors, according to data from the U.S. patent agency, reported by Michael Martina for Reuters.

The USPTO reported that the agency granted 1,020 patents from 2010 through the first quarter of 2024 that were funded at least in part by the U.S. government and involved at least one China-residing inventor. I Photo: Will Buckner Flickr

The U.S. patent data, which were reviewed by Reuters and have not been reported previously, will likely amplify calls to cancel or renegotiate the landmark U.S.-China Science and Technology Agreement, a cooperation deal that critics say disproportionately benefits Washington's top geopolitical rival.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) supplied the data this month to the House of Representatives' select committee on China. In June, the committee asked the agency whether U.S. funding resulted in Chinese breakthroughs, aiming to highlight what it views as the risks of renewing the pact.

The USPTO reported that the agency granted 1,020 patents from 2010 through the first quarter of 2024 that were funded at least in part by the U.S. government and involved at least one China-residing inventor.

The data do not detail whether U.S. entities or individuals share the patents.

The patents included 197 in pharmaceuticals and 154 in biotechnology, both strategic industries for China and the U.S. Research funded by various U.S. government agencies led to 92 patents through Pentagon funding, 175 from the Department of Energy, and four from NASA.

The U.S. space agency faces prohibitions under U.S. law from cooperating with China or Chinese companies. Funding from the Department of Health and Human Services yielded 356 such patents, the most of any agency.