Overview
To support research integrity and comply with evolving federal requirements, Michigan State University (MSU) has established a comprehensive Research Security Program. This program includes targeted training to help faculty, staff, and students understand and meet federal research security guidelines, while continuing to support MSU’s commitment to international collaboration and transparency.
Training Requirements
Under the guidance of the National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33), research institutions receiving significant federal funding must demonstrate a strong research security framework. MSU’s training is a key component of this framework.
Research Security Training Modules
MSU’s Research Security Training is delivered through the Ability Learning Management System (LMS) and consists of five courses. Two of these courses are mandatory, and three are optional, providing flexibility based on individual roles and needs:
- Research Security Resources at MSU (Required): Introduces the core resources and policies available at MSU to support research security.
- Manage and Mitigate Risk (Required): This training module identifies types of international collaborative research and professional activities, associated potential risks, and strategies and best practices for managing and mitigating such risk.
- Introduction to Research Security (Optional): This training module covers the key concepts of research security and how to recognize situations that may indicate undue foreign influence.
- The Importance of Disclosure (Optional): This training module explains federal funding agency disclosure requirements, including types of information that must be disclosed, how that information is used and why such disclosures are fundamental to safeguarding the U.S. research enterprise from foreign government interference and exploitation.
- The Importance of International Collaboration (Optional): This training module emphasizes the role of principled international collaboration in U.S. science, innovation and economic competitiveness.
How Training is Assigned
The Research Security Training is automatically assigned to individuals working on new NSF (awarded after 8/1/2023) and all USDA-NIFA grants that require Responsible Conduct of Research (RECR) training. For other grants where research security training is required, the Office of Sponsored Programs and Contracts and Grants Administration collaborates with the Research Security Program to assign the appropriate courses manually. If you believe you need this training for a specific project, please contact ORI.Security@msu.edu for assistance.
Additional Resources and Support
The Research Security Program team is available to answer questions and provide guidance on any aspect of research security at MSU. The training modules and other resources will be updated regularly to keep the MSU research community aligned with the latest federal requirements.
For questions or additional support, please reach out to: ORI.Security@msu.edu
Please check back periodically for updates on training and other research security resources.