{"id":51698,"date":"2024-06-22T09:35:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-22T13:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/?page_id=51698"},"modified":"2026-05-27T15:58:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:58:42","slug":"research-security-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/research-security\/research-security-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Security Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Research Security Training Annual Update Due<\/h3>\n

Last spring, the Office of Research notified the BU research community of new requirements for research security training<\/a> (RST). Federal agencies have since determined that RST must be completed annually. This requirement applies to all covered individuals who engage in sponsored research, including non-federal and industry-sponsored research, not only those receiving federal funding. This message serves as a reminder to complete your annual update.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learn More<\/a><\/div>\n

Boston University values and encourages international collaborations and educational exchanges.<\/strong> We strive to uphold academic freedom and believe in the open dissemination of research for the advancement of knowledge. We remain dedicated to our founding principle: \u201cthat research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community\u2014local and international.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent years, the US government has raised concerns about foreign government interference at research institutions receiving federal funds and has issued new research security policies, guidance, and rules to address these concerns. The government has emphasized that the responsibility for protecting US research from undue foreign influence belongs to individual researchers and their institutions. Accordingly, Boston University has established a Research Security Program. This program is managed through Research Compliance and jointly administered through Research Compliance, Sponsored Programs, Information Security, and Global Programs.<\/p>\n

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Regulatory Background<\/h2>\n

National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33)<\/h3>
Released in January 2021, National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33)<\/a>\u00a0 is a presidential directive to strengthen protections of US government-supported research and development against foreign government interference and misappropriation, while maintaining an open environment to foster research discoveries and innovation that benefit the United States and the world. The main areas of concern are non-disclosure of foreign resources such as foreign employment arrangements, foreign grant support and foreign talent programs; undisclosed significant financial conflicts of interest; and compliance with regulatory requirements including US Export Control laws and regulations. Among other guidelines for increased security measures, NSPM-33 establishes stricter reporting requirements to ensure the protection of research and requires standardization across governmental agencies regarding disclosure of conflicts of interest and commitment, relationships or affiliations with foreign entities, and research support provided by those entities.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Research Security Program Components<\/h3>
NSPM-33 also requires a certification from research organizations awarded in excess of $50 million per year in total federal research funding that they have implemented a research security program that includes four elements:<\/p>\n

Cybersecurity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Research organizations satisfy the cybersecurity element of the research security program requirement by applying the following basic safeguarding protocols and procedures:<\/p>\n