Research Security

• Department of Defense (DOD) — Academic Research Security (Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering): This site is a resource for the actions that the Department and the inter-agency are taking to ensure the integrity of fundamental research in academia as well as steps that the academic community has taken. 
• Department of Defense (DOD) Research and Engineering: Countering Unwanted Foreign Influence in Department-Funded Research at Institutions of Higher Education. Memorandum on the policy for Risk-Based Security Reviews of Fundamental Research mandated by section 1286 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019 and NSPM-33.
• Department of Energy (DOE)— DOE Current and Pending Support Disclosure Requirements for Financial Assistance (FAL 2022-04): response to NSPM-33.
• Director of National Security (ODNI) — National Counterintelligence & Security Center (Office of the Director of National Intelligence): a collection of Research Security reference documents compiled by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy (OCRSSP) regarding best practices in research security for the academic community.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) —  Proposers Guide: Section 2.16 (Current and Pending Support) contains specific guidance regarding disclosure of current and pending support with China.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) — Foreign Interference (NIH Central Resource for Grants and Funding Information): Includes  an overview of NIH's  principles, case studies, explanations about U.S. government concerns regarding foreign influence, requirements for disclosure of Other Support, Foreign Components, and Conflicts of Interest.
• National Science Foundation (NSF) — Research Security at the National Science Foundation (the NSF Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy): Includes a comprehensive overview of Research Security at NSF, including policies, foreign influence and risk mitigation, the benefits of international collaboration, and the Research on Research Security program (RRSP).

The University of Massachusetts encourages international collaborations and recognizes that foreign influence concerns must not stifle its academic and research goals and missions, discriminate against national origin or ethnicity (or any other protected classes), or inhibit academic or speech freedoms. The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act of 2022, 15 U.S.C. 4651 et seq. prohibits federal employees, contractors, and awardees from participating in Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs (MFTRPs) after August 9, 2024. The National Science Foundation (effective May 20, 2024), National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense (effective August 9, 2024), and other agencies issued MFTRP policies in 2023 and 2024. The Department of Energy has tightly restricted talent program participation since 2019 with DoE Order 486.1A. These efforts align with and are in furtherance of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33, issued January 14, 2021, implementing national security strategies for US Government supported research and development.

It is the Policy of the University of Massachusetts to comply with NSF, NIH, DoD, DoE and any other agencies’ or federal departments’ MFTRP requirements. Therefore, in accordance with federal research sponsor requirements (Section 10638(4)(a)(i-ix) of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022), Covered Individuals who engage in federally funded research are prohibited from participating in MFTRPs.  For further details, see the University of Massachusetts Policy Statement on Malign Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs.

For reference, see the list of Foreign Institutions engaging in problematic activity as described in Section 1286 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, updated annually.

Research security training, including basic and more detailed advanced courses, are available through the CITI Program. Enrollment instructions can be found here.

The following contacts are available to respond to specific questions that researchers involved in international collaborations may have. If you are unclear on the best approach, please contact the Office of Research Compliance at (413) 545-5283 or @email.