(Washington, D.C.) - Last week, Optica made changes to its senior leadership following a board review of the Optica Foundation Challenge. The board’s decisions follow months of scrutiny by Science Committee leaders of Optica’s distribution of anonymized Huawei donations to recipients of prestigious research awards.
“We are encouraged that Optica is now taking decisive steps on this matter,” said Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). “Accepting and anonymizing funds from a sanctioned Chinese company is wholly inappropriate. International collaboration on sensitive research topics must be undertaken with the utmost risk awareness and transparency. China’s tactics will continue to evolve, and it is imperative that stakeholders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors maintain the highest standards to meet the ever-changing threat environment.”