Integrity is the hallmark of all great universities. MSU, like our peer institutions, requires honesty and full disclosure of material facts related to outside affiliations in faculty research and creative activities.

Recently, the U.S. government began a multifaceted effort to raise compliance standards related to outside influence on research, intellectual property, technology systems, and data security.

The Office of Research and Innovation wants to emphasize to colleagues at all levels that full and timely disclosure regarding research support and conflicts of interest is essential to the transparency the government requires and MSU expects. Currently the University requires all faculty to:

• Complete a Conflict of Interest disclosure at the time a new grant proposal is submitted, and at least annually:
• Complete the Outside Work for Pay disclosure and approval process, as required by policy:
• Fully and accurately complete all required forms and respond to all funding agency requests regarding any current and pending support.

Note: The staff within the Office of Research and Innovation recognizes that federal guidelines continue to use "foreign" influence and that the term does not align with MSU's values. Our team has attempted to replace "foreign" with "outside" or other terminology where appropriate. For background, please refer to the memo from university leadership dated February 2, 2020.

Non-Domestic Influence – Frequently Asked Questions

Undisclosed working relationships between scholars in U.S. institutions and non-domestic entities (e.g., universities, companies, and governments) have increasingly been of concern to American science agencies.  These FAQs include general information related to issues of non-domestic influence.

Current and Pending / Other Support Requirements by Sponsor

Current and Pending Support, also known as Other Support, is a form typically used by federal sponsors to request information for the PI(s) and Key Personnel’s current and pending research projects. Most federal agencies require Current & Pending Support documents to be submitted with the proposal or just before an award is issued, and if awarded, they may require any changes to be disclosed in progress reports. If applicable to your proposal/award, please remember to include ALL support including grants, and contracts from all non-U.S. and domestic sources, including MSU project support. The format of this requirement varies by sponsor. It is the responsibility of the Investigator/Key Person to make sure that all research projects and affiliations are disclosed and that the document is completed in its entirety.

Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs

The National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and other agencies are rolling out FTRP policies out in 2023 and 2024. The Department of Energy, which has had a tightly restricted talent program participation since 2019 with DoE Order 486.1A (updated 2020).