Memo: Action Required for BU Researchers and Research Staff

As part of Boston University’s compliance with federal research security requirements, all covered individuals involved in sponsored research – including federal, non-federal, and industry-sponsored projects – must complete research security training via the CITI Program by June 30, 2025. Principal investigators (PIs) who have not completed the training by then will not be allowed to submit new proposals.

Additionally, PIs are responsible for communicating this requirement to their lab members and ensuring compliance with the training deadline.

Why this matters:

Under National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 and the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, federal law now mandates that institutions and individuals applying for research funding certify the completion of research security training.

Who must complete the training?

You are considered a “covered individual” if you:

• Contribute meaningfully to the development or execution of a project, and
• Serve as a PI, project director, co-PI, co-investigator, co-project director, project manager, or key personnel and any individual regardless of title that is functionally performing in one of these named roles.

What training is required?

BU has adopted the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program’s Research Security Training (Combined) course to meet the training requirement. The four-module training takes approximately one hour and covers an introduction to research security, the importance of disclosure, risk mitigation and management, and international collaboration.

How will a PI prove completion of research security training by all covered individuals?

An individual’s completion record is available to them in CITI and should be emailed or printed and provided to the PI of the proposal. PIs should maintain completion certifications in the event they are requested by the sponsor. In addition, when submitting a proposal summary form, PIs will be required to certify that all covered individuals on a project have completed research security training within one year prior to the submission of the proposal.

To complete the CITI research security training course, please follow these steps:

• Access the CITI website.
• Log in to your existing CITI account or register if this is your first time visiting CITI.
• To access the research security training, you must affiliate with the BU Charles River Campus (CRC). Note that in CITI, you may be affiliated with other institutional accounts, such as the BU Medical Campus; however, the training is only available via the CRC training portfolio.
• When you select an email address for your registration, please use your BU email address (this enables your training certifications to connect with other University systems, such as Huron).
• Under ‘Learner Tools,’ choose ‘Add a Course.’
• Under ‘Getting Started,’ select ‘Research Security.’
• Under ‘Research Security Curriculum,’ select ‘Research Security Training (Combined).’ This will add the course to your ‘Courses Ready to Begin.’
• Next, click ‘Start Now’ and take the course.

Thank you for your attention to this new requirement. Your compliance is greatly appreciated.

For more information, please review the frequently asked questions and the research security website.

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