Two Republican House members have called for universities researching COVID-19 remedies to be better protected amid reports that hackers from China, Russia, and other countries are trying to steal their work.

A new bill sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky and Frank Lucas of Oklahoma directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or the NIST, to create new recommendations and offer other resources to help universities and other research organizations conducting coronavirus research defend themselves against cyberattacks.