UW Research

Research Security at UW

UW is required by the CHIPS and Science Act to have an integrated program for research security.  The UW Research Security program comprises various components which, together, fulfill federal legal and regulatory requirements.  While the program centers on research, it applies to all university activities.

Export Control Regulations

Sharing controlled items and information with a foreign national as well as shipping-controlled items to a foreign destination may require export licensing. There are some export license exceptions.

Primary responsibility for compliance with export regulations falls on the Principal Investigator. The following activities may be subject to export control regulations, and can occur at any time during your research:

  • Sharing proprietary or otherwise restricted information, technology or software with a foreign national
  • Engaging in a sponsored project where the research results must be approved by the sponsor prior to publication
  • Projects performed abroad by UW personnel
  • Export of tangible items outside the United States
  • Furnishing defense services to a foreign person or entity within the United States or abroad
  • Transacting with embargoed or sanctioned countries or parties

More information about these activities can be found on the Export Controls webpage.

International Travel

Federal regulations require the University, as a “covered institution” receiving federal science and engineering support in excess of $50 million per year to register international travel of covered individuals and ensure covered individuals receive foreign travel security training.

Registering International Travel

The University must establish and operate a research security program that includes an organizational record of international travel as a component of a travel reporting program. All personnel, including students, faculty and other academic personnel, and staff, involved in UW research are required to register all international travel in the UW International Travel Registry.

Foreign Travel Security Training

The University must implement periodic training on foreign travel security to covered individuals initially and at least every six years. All personnel, including students, faculty and other academic personnel, and staff, involved in UW research are required to complete. Please note: This training is currently in development.

Compliance, Disclosures, and Reporting

The University as well as individual UW researchers are required to make certain certifications regarding compliance with federal research security regulations.  Non-compliance or falsely certifying compliance presents individual and institutional risks.

Disclosures and Reporting

The University as well as individual UW researchers are required to report certain financial and other support from, and collaborations with, international entities.

Institutional Reporting

  • Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 requires the University to report all gifts and contracts received from a foreign source that amount to $250,000 or more in a calendar year.
  • Section 10339B of the CHIPS & Science Act requires the University to report all financial support received from a source associated with a Foreign Country of Concern that amounts to $50,000 or more.

Individual Researcher Disclosures and Reporting

Malign Foreign Talend Recruitment Programs (MFTRPs)

In accordance with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, all faculty, staff and other University personnel are prohibited from participating in malign foreign talent recruitment programs (MFTRPs), detailed in the July 2024 Presidential Memorandum. Further information about MFTRPs can be found on the Foreign Interests in Sponsored Programs.

Critical and Emerging Technologies List

Critical and Emerging Technologies are a subset of advanced technologies that are potentially significant to U S national security. Though not a strategy document, this list may inform government-wide and agency-specific efforts concerning U S technological competitiveness and national security. Research in these and related areas may be subject to existing and developing federal regulation and monitoring.

Information Security and Privacy

Privacy protections for individuals whose personal information is collected or otherwise used in research apply to all UW research and are considered integral to overall research security.

  • The UW Privacy Office, within UWIT, provides information about UW data and information privacy.
  • The UWIT Office of Information Security provides comprehensive information on the University’s institutional approach to information security.
  • General guidance on information/data security and privacy in research, covering topics including CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information), requirements for human subjects research, EU GDPR (European Union General Data Protection Regulation), and classified information may be found here.

Research Security Training

Federal research sponsors, including NSF and DOE, are requiring completion of Research Security training by all “covered individuals” participating on a project before an application for funding is submitted as of May 25 2025.  The definition of covered individual varies by federal agency.  Generally, however, it refers to “an individual who (A) contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of an R&D project proposed to be carried out with an… award from a Federal research agency; and (B) is designated as a covered individual by the Federal research agency concerned.” See the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Memo. More information about Research Security training can be found in these FAQs.

Currently, research project-specific training in Export Controls, a component of Research Security, is required for certain activities. The UW Office of Export Controls is available to provide guidance as well as training, where it is required.

Enrollment

If you are the PI of an impacted proposal, ensure all covered individuals have completed training ahead of the anticipated submission date. This research security training requirement can be met by completing the CITI-developed training for NSF and offered to UW personnel. There are four modules included in this training:

  • Introduction to Research Security
  • The Importance of Disclosure
  • Risk Mitigation and Management
  • The Importance of International Collaboration

Research Security Training Verification

Completion of Research Security Training will be reflected in MyResearch Training Transcript (MRTT). Completion records in MRTT will be linked for each individual listed on the PI, Personnel and Organizations page of the eGC1.  Campus units can use these links to verify covered individuals have completed training.

The Office of Sponsored Programs will verify that individuals named in federal proposals have completed training in alignment with sponsor policies.

Research Security by Role

Researcher

As a Researcher, your role carries with it responsibilities for research security.  If you are the Principal Investigator (PI), you are also responsible for overall compliance of the project (and its associated personnel) with research security regulations.

Checklist

If your project/lab/research group involves any of the following, research security regulations apply

  • A Critical or Emerging Technology
  • Employment or hosting of non-U S persons, including students, postdoctoral scholars, visiting scientists, or other visitors
  • Work done in an international location
  • Funding from an international source
  • An international collaborator
  • Data or materials shared with, or obtained from, an international source

Administrator

As a Research Administrator, your role carries with it responsibilities for research security.  Depending upon the duties of your position, you may be responsible for ensuring compliance by identifying, tracking, and/or reporting specific research security components applicable to a research project or lab.  Working with the PI and project or lab personnel, you can facilitate compliance by understanding research security policies, regulations and best practices and assisting in their application.

Checklist

If your project/lab/research group involves any of the following, research security regulations apply:

  • A Critical or Emerging Technology
  • Employment or hosting of non-U S persons, including students, postdoctoral scholars, visiting scientists, or other visitors
  • Work done in an international location
  • Funding from an international source
  • An international collaborator
  • Data or materials shared with, or obtained from, an international source

Project Staff

As staff to a research project or lab, your role carries with it responsibilities for research security.  You are responsible for understanding research security policies, regulations and best practices as they apply to your work and to the work of those you supervise.

Depending upon the duties of your position, you may also have an administrative role in ensuring compliance by identifying, tracking, and/or reporting specific research security components applicable to a research project or lab.  If so, working with the PI and project or lab personnel, you can facilitate compliance by understanding and assisting in their application.

Checklist

If your PI’s project/lab/research group involves any of the following, research security regulations apply:

  • A Critical or Emerging Technology
  • Employment or hosting of non-U S persons, including students, postdoctoral scholars, visiting scientists, or other visitors
  • Work done in an international location
  • Funding from an international source
  • An international collaborator
  • Data or materials shared with, or obtained from, an international source

Trainee

As an undergraduate student, graduate student or postdoctoral scholar working on a research project, your role carries with it responsibilities for research security.  You are responsible for understanding research security policies, regulations and best practices as they apply to your work and to the work of those you supervise.

Checklist

If the project you are working on or the lab/research group in which you are working involves any of the following, research security regulations may apply:

  • A Critical or Emerging Technology
  • Employment or hosting of non-U S persons, including students, postdoctoral scholars, visiting scientists, or other visitors
  • Work done in an international location
  • Funding from an international source
  • An international collaborator
  • Data or materials shared with, or obtained from, an international source

Research Security by Design

The University of Washington aims to provide a research security focused culture while maintaining an open-research environment. Research Security by Design is a resource developed by The UW Office of Sponsored Program to help build research security into a UW research program.

Contact

Email researchsecurity@uw.edu to:

  • Request a consultation
  • Request research security information
  • Report non-compliance
  • Check the status of a program activity
  • View employment opportunities

The Chief Research Security Officer is UW’s designated single point of contact for communications with the federal government on matters involving Research Security. Contact the Chief Research Security Officer at avprso@uw.edu