On January 12, 2024, the National Natural Science Foundation of China convened a "Legal Seminar on Typical Cases of Illegal Use of Research Funds" in Beijing. The event was geared towards examining recent instances of illicit use of research funds and deliberating on the draft "Regulations for Investigating and Dealing with Illegal Use of National Natural Science Foundation Project Funds." The seminar was presided over by Guo Jianquan, Director of the Office of Scientific Research Integrity at the National Natural Science Foundation of China. In attendance were over ten distinguished experts from esteemed institutions such as Peking University, Beijing Normal University, the People's Public Security University of China, China University of Political Science and Law, and Beijing University of Technology, along with officials from the Office of Scientific Research Integrity. Professor Liu Ke from the Law School of Beijing Normal University was among the invitees and contributed extensively with his insights on the nature of the offense involving "diverting student labor fees to research funds," the case management, and the proposed "Regulations for Investigating and Dealing with Illegal Use of National Natural Science Foundation Project Funds."

Recent reports indicate that over the past few years, judicial bodies have successfully prosecuted and penalized instances of the misappropriation of scientific research funds under the charge of corruption. Despite these efforts, the phenomenon of siphoning off scientific research funds persists, with perpetrators continually evolving their methods, which presents certain challenges for the authorities tasked with addressing such cases. The "Investigation and Handling Measures for Illegal Use of National Natural Science Foundation Project Funds" is based on the idea of balancing protection and punishment, refining the violations and illegal use of scientific research funds, which is conducive to promoting the standardized use of scientific research funds and avoiding the situation where researchers are easily blamed.