Research misconduct and federally funded grants: Perils, pitfalls and pointers

Research institutions rely heavily on federal grants to support their research activities. These institutions have historically faced grant-related FCA scrutiny on issues such as grant budget fraud and falsified effort reporting. However, research institutions also face another potential avenue for FCA liability — the growing trend for whistleblowers and government enforcers to seek to hold institutions liable under the FCA for research misconduct issues involving the potential scientific integrity of the data used in grant applications, progress reports and journal articles funded by the grant. This webinar will explore key questions relating to this topic, including:

• What are some of the major areas of risk in research involving federal grants?
• How does research misconduct become a False Claims Act case?
• How can research institutions mitigate potential exposure?
• What should institutions do when faced with possible misconduct?