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, personnel can now self-enroll in the MSU Research Security Training. For additional information please see the Important Information Regarding Mandatory Research Security Training memo.

Enrolling in MSU Research Security Training

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

Option 1

1. Please ensure that pop-ups are not being blocked for https://abilitylms.msu.edu
   • Follow the the MSU IT Knowledge Base article to disable pop-up blockers.
2. Log into Ability LMS.
3. Use this  self-enroll in the MSU Research Security Training track link
4. The Add Required Learning Track should pop up for “Research Security” and click “Next”
5. The "Research Security" track will now be listed under your "My Requirements."

Option 2

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

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.