Pleasanton 生物科技公司 Cyion 付逾 52 万美元和解：被指首席研究员另有全职工作仍领联邦科研经费
位于加州阿拉米达县 Pleasanton 的生物科技公司 Cyion Technologies LLC 已同意支付 528,335.74 美元，和解联邦政府对其不当取得联邦科研经费的指控。加州北区联邦检察官办公室11月13日宣布这一和解：政府指控 Cyion 违反《虚假申报法》，接受并支取了它本不符合资格领取的联邦拨款。
涉案经费来自美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）的两项小企业技术转移（STTR）拨款和一项小企业创新研究（SBIR）拨款。这两类拨款的条款规定，首席研究员另有外部全职工作的公司不得申请或领取。政府指控，Cyion 在2017年申请 STTR 拨款、2023年申请 SBIR 拨款，并分别支取经费至2019年和2024年期间，没有披露其首席研究员另持一份全职工作，违反了拨款的资格条件。
联邦检察官 Craig H. Missakian 说，NIH 的小企业科研拨款旨在推动创新，不是奖励破坏规则的公司，资格要求包括对外部全职工作的限制，并不是可有可无。他说，公司以虚报资格的方式取得联邦经费，他的办公室将有力执行《虚假申报法》追究责任、保护纳税人的钱。
卫生与公众服务部监察长办公室（HHS-OIG）太平洋地区特别探员主管 Robb R. Breeden 说，Cyion 没有披露首席研究员的外部全职工作，损害了联邦小企业科研拨款的目的，这类项目是为支持符合资格、从事关键科学研究的创新者，不是给虚报资格的实体送钱。
此案由助理联邦检察官 Savith Iyengar 经办，调查与和解由加州北区联邦检察官办公室与 HHS-OIG 协调完成。司法部说明，本次和解解决的只是指控，尚无责任认定。
（来源：美国司法部）
Pleasanton Biotech Cyion to Pay $528,335.74 to Resolve Federal Grant Allegations
Cyion Technologies LLC, a biotechnology company based in Pleasanton, in Alameda County, California, has agreed to pay $528,335.74 to resolve federal allegations that it improperly obtained federal research grant funds. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced the settlement on November 13, saying the United States alleged that Cyion violated the False Claims Act by accepting and drawing down federal grant awards it was ineligible to receive.
The settlement covers two Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards and one Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award that Cyion obtained from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The terms of those programs bar companies whose principal investigators hold outside full-time employment from applying for or receiving the awards. The government alleged that when Cyion applied for the STTR grants in 2017 and the SBIR grant in 2023, and drew down funds through 2019 and 2024 respectively, it failed to disclose that its principal investigator held outside full-time employment, in violation of the awards' terms.
"NIH small business research grants are intended to fuel innovation, not reward companies that break the rules," said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian. "The requirements governing these grants, including restrictions on outside full-time employment, are not optional. When companies misrepresent their eligibility to obtain federal funding, my office will vigorously enforce the False Claims Act to hold them accountable and protect taxpayer dollars."
Robb R. Breeden, Special Agent in Charge of the Pacific Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), said Cyion's failure to disclose its principal investigator's outside full-time employment undermined the purpose of the federal small business research grant programs, which exist to support eligible innovators conducting critical scientific research, not to fund entities that misrepresent their eligibility.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Savith Iyengar handled the matter, which resulted from a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California and HHS-OIG. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
来源：美国司法部
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于华盛顿的美国司法部总部大楼。Gunnar Klack 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons，本图已裁为 16:9。 / Photo: Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington. By Gunnar Klack, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped to 16:9.
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