• Physical Exports
• Export Compliance and Travel with Portable Electronic Devices

Please contact the Export Compliance team with any questions about physical exports.

Dear Colleagues,

The federal government has directed the university community to exercise extreme caution related to involvement with Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs (FTRP) due to the concern they may be used by foreign governments to acquire U.S. government-funded scientific research and valuable intellectual property. The  directs federal research sponsors to maintain policies which –

• require covered individuals to disclose all participation in FTRPs, and
• prohibit recipients of federal support from participating in any malign FTRPs (MFTRPs).

Federal agencies have started implementing these policies, and researchers may start to see sponsor-specific certifications and/or disclosure requirements when submitting proposals. NSF is requiring this disclosure for proposals submitted on or after May 20th, 2024. The University has established a new guidance page on Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs as a resource for the research community while development of additional guidance and resources, including training, is underway.

A new certification will soon be available in PARS for investigators to complete during the proposal stage to support compliance with these new federal regulations. We encourage you to review the FTRP guidance, and carefully review sponsor-specific requirements as you prepare proposals.

ORA and ORC will host several sessions over the summer and into the fall to discuss the requirements, process and address questions. A communication about these sessions will be sent in the coming weeks.

If after reviewing the new guidance you are unsure whether your program or activity meets the definition of an FTRP or MFTRP, please contact the export compliance team in the Office of Research Compliance at um.export@maine.edu for assistance.

Inquires related to sponsor-specific forms, policies and procedures may be directed to Amy Elliott (amy.elliott@maine.edu) in the Office of Research Administration.

For further information from ORC regarding U.S. sanctions and export controls in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, see U.S. Sanctions and Export Controls on Russia.

For further information from ORC regarding U.S. sanctions and export controls in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, see U.S. Sanctions and Export Controls on Russia.

Dear members of the University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias communities,

This notice is to alert you that a recent change under U.S. Export Control Regulations may impact users of DJI drones. Effective December 18th, 2020, and will no longer be permitted to receive US exports controlled under the Commerce Department’s Export Administration Regulations without a license. The key impact to users of DJI drones is that interaction with, or export to, DJI may require an export license. Therefore, any planned interaction with DJI needs prior review and approval by the export control team in the Office of Research Compliance, including any customer service or repair calls. Users should also review their DJI drone settings to ensure the drone is not set by default to send data to DJI (this export of data to DJI servers could potentially result in a significant fine, up to $1,000,000 per violation).

While this regulatory change does not prevent DJI drones from being sold and purchased in the U.S., and 91���� personnel who use DJI products are not required to discard them at this time, it is important for users to be aware of this significant regulatory change and work closely with the Office of Research Compliance before interacting with, or exporting items or data to, DJI. Please direct questions and requests for review to um.export@maine.edu.

Sincerely,
Amanda Ashe

Amanda Ashe, CRA, ECoP® – EAR/ITAR
Director of Research Compliance
Export Control Officer
Office of Research Compliance