NSF Prohibition on Collaborations with Restricted Entities – July 2026
Important update for National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded researchers and the research community – NSF recently released a .
This letter details an upcoming prohibition of NSF funds being used on collaborations with entities on U.S. restricted parties lists, also referred to as “U.S. Proscribed Party Lists.” This change is anticipated to take place during NSF’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027.
U.S. government agencies maintain lists of high-risk parties/entities who are restricted due to national security and/or other foreign policy interests. NSF has “determined research security risk mitigation for NSF-funded projects involving these restricted entities is not sufficient” – therefore, NSF will soon be “prohibiting collaboration on NSF-funded projects with these restricted entities.”
For more information, please review the full . More information is expected to be released prior to the implementation of this change.
In the meantime, the Office of Research Compliance (ORC) offers informational webpages on the related topics of Research Security and Export Controls. ORC can also screen potential collaborators to ensure they are not restricted parties/entities – requests for screening can be submitted via email to um.export@maine.edu.