Research Security Training | Office of Research and Innovation

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 two required courses.

Research Security Resources at MSU (Required): Introduces the core resources and policies available at MSU to support research security.
NSF Consolidated Research Security (Required): This on-demand course from U.S. National Science Foundation covers 1) key concepts of research security, 2) federal funding agency disclosure requirements, 3) best practices for managing and mitigating risk associated with international collaborative research and professional activities, and 4) balancing principled international collaboration with research security concerns.

Federal Mandate

Federal agencies are beginning to require research security training. This mandate originates from the National Security Presidential Memo-33 (2021) and the CHIPs and Science Act (2022). As a result, MSU is obligated to certify that it has a Research Security program, and a key component of this program is mandatory Research Security Training for all “covered individuals.”

Who is required to take the training?

“Covered individuals” includes Principal Investigators, Senior Key Personnel, and any mandated additional personnel identified by a federal agency within a specific solicitation or award.

How Training is Assigned

The Research Security Training will now be automatically assigned to all Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-Investigators (Co-Is) listed on any active federally sponsored proposal or award in the Kuali Research (KR) system, beginning December 15, 2025. Research Security Training is also a required component of MSU’s Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) program. Therefore, individuals who are assigned RECR for Faculty, Research Associates/Postdoctoral Researchers, or Research Assistants/Technicians through NSF or USDA-NIFA awards will also be assigned the MSU Research Security Training. Personnel on other sponsored projects who are required to complete research security training may still self-enroll in the training.

Self-enrolling for Other Individuals

We strongly encourage all faculty, staff, and students involved in research to self-enroll in the Research Security Training

Please follow these steps to self-enroll in the training track using Ability LMS:

Option 1

Log into Ability LMS.
Select My Requirements.
Click on the green plus sign to add a track.
Choose Research Security from the Learning Track Options dropdown menu and click Next.
The Research Security track will now be listed under your "My Requirements."

Option 2

Use this  self-enroll in the MSU Research Security Training track link.
Two windows/tabs should open:
1. Ability Training Compliance page with your assigned tracks (log in to Ability LMS if prompted).
2. A pop-up window titled Add Required Learning Track.
  If the pop-up does not open, make sure pop-ups are allowed for https://abilitylms.msu.edu in your browser security settings. For help, see the MSU IT Knowledge Base article to disable pop-up blockers
In the pop-up window, confirm that Research Security is selected under Learning Track Options.
Click Next to add the Research Security track to your My Requirements in Ability.

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 researchsecurity@msu.edu.

Please check back periodically for updates on training and other research security resources.