That’s been illegal for about 20 years. Your information remains antiquated or incorrect. This is fake news.
Lots of ways to pass cash without direct gifts. Funding only favorable research, buying equipment for the researcher, all expense paid tours in order to present the info(educational). Who knows how much of the grant money goes to research?..Any presenter has to disclose any support relationship to their audience...but the info given is vague and non-specific. Very difficult to get completely unbiased info about anything....even the competitors have to fund any opposing viewpoints (much in the same way)