Scripps Research pays $10 million settlement to U.S. related to improper grant funding usage

Scripps Research this week was charged with a $10 million payout as part of a settlement over claims that it used government grants to fund non-granted undertakings.

The Justice Department announced in a press release that Scripps "agreed to pay the U.S. $10 million to settle claims that it improperly charged NIH-funded research grants for time spent by researchers on non-grant related activities."

"Federal grant recipients must use the grant funds they receive on tasks that specifically relate to the funded project," U.S. Attorney Robert Hur said in the release. "Those that improperly charge the government for costs unrelated to the project must be held accountable."

Scripps Research—formerly the Scripps Research Institute—is a biomedical firm located in Florida and California. Between 2008 and 2016 the institute reportedly "failed to have a system in place for its faculty to properly account for time spent on activities that cannot be charged directly to NIH-funded projects or are unrelated to the research activities of the NIH-funded project."

The claims resolved by the $10 million settlement "are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability," the Justice Department said in its release.