Emerging Federal Guidance on Outside Influence

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, and associated technology implementation.

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.

The Office of Research and Innovation has created this web page to help MSU faculty and staff stay current with emerging federal guidelines. The page will be updated as new information, guidelines, and resources become available.

MSU values its international collaborators and inter-institutional affiliations. Preservation of important international relationships will be facilitated by our careful attention to federal requirements of transparency in research and related activity.

Please read the memo dated July 3, 2019, from MSU leadership for more information.

Also see President Stanley's op-ed from The Hill dated July 30, 2019.

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.

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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.

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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.

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Global Activities e-Disclosure

To support faculty in the required federal funding agency disclosures and to assist faculty in addressing any potential conflicts, the Office of Research and Innovation has developed the Global Activities e-Disclosure (GAED) web-based form to supplement other required disclosures. The GAED form asks for disclosure of any current or pending, compensated or uncompensated collaborations, appointments, affiliations, or resources with or from any non-domestic entities. Responses will help MSU understand the scope of interactions with non-domestic entities and what assistance is needed to enable compliance with university and federal agency requirements. 

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Other Resources