As a reminder, effective October 1, 2025, NIH previously relayed a requirement to train Senior/Key Personnel on Other Support Disclosure requirements per the July 17, 2025 notice .

For current information on research security training requirements, please visit Training for Research Security.

The National Science Foundation (NSF)  includes a requirement for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training (referred to by NSF as “Responsible & Ethical Conduct of Research”) to address research security, export compliance, and federal disclosure and reporting requirements. The Office of Research Compliance (ORC) has updated the resource RCR Training Requirements to reflect this regulatory update from NSF with guidance about how NSF supported personnel who complete RCR training after October 10, 2025 can meet NSF’s revised RCR training requirements; a summary is provided below:

• Undergraduate Students – ORC has incorporated these topics into Undergraduate RCR Courses; no additional action beyond completion of RCR training is required.
• Graduate Students – Graduate Students supported by NSF to conduct research must complete supplemental training in Research Security in CITI in addition to appropriate RCR training to fully satisfy NSF requirements.
• Post Doctoral Researchers, Faculty & Staff – Faculty, Post-Doctoral Researchers, and other senior/key personnel will typically meet the definition of ‘Covered Individuals’ and thus will be subject to various federal agency requirements to complete Research Security training annually.��Provided they have an active Research Security training certificate at the time of completing RCR training – they will have met NSF’s requirements; all others must complete Research Security training to fully satisfy NSF’s RCR requirements.

For more information about how to access the Research Security course, please visit Research Security Training.

Questions about RCR training requirements can be directed to ORC via email to umric@maine.edu.

This communication is a follow up to the April 17, 2025 notice about a new Research Security Training Requirement implemented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in response to U.S. federal regulations such as  and the security-related provisions under the .��

• On July 8, 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicating this training requirement will appear in all new research and development (R&D) or science and technology (S&T) awards.��
• In a , the National Science Foundation (NSF) confirmed the training requirement goes into effect on October 10, 2025.
• In a the National Institutes of Health (NIH) relayed a requirement to Train Senior/Key Personnel on Other Support Disclosure requirements which goes into effect on October 1^st����
• Ultimately all federal funders will soon require annual research security training, and it is anticipated that research security training will be required prior to proposal submission.

In order to ensure compliance with both current and forthcoming agency-required research security training requirements, we highly encourage all Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators (i.e. Senior/Key Personnel) involved in federal funding, in particular those planning to submit proposals to federal agencies, to complete Research Security training by October 1^st or soon thereafter to avoid delays at the proposal stage.  (Note: This training requirement is already in effect for DOE proposals and may be required prior to October 1^st if it is included as a requirement in the proposal instructions).  Training will take approximately 1 hour to complete. For more information about the training requirement, including directions to access this training and who to contact for questions, please review the resource Research Security Training.

To address the growing concerns around research security, U.S. federal regulations such as  and the security-related provisions under the  require specific individuals involved in federally funded research to complete annual research security training.

Beginning on May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will require all Covered Individuals to complete research security training in the 12 months immediately preceding the application date. Covered Individuals from recipients or subrecipients who are added to an existing DOE award that includes the research security training requirement must complete the training within 30 calendar days of joining.��The National Science Foundation (NSF) training requirement is anticipated to take effect in October 2025.��Ultimately all federal funders will soon require annual research security training, and it is anticipated that research security training will be required prior to proposal submission.

The university has made a Research Security course available to satisfy this federal requirement for Covered Individuals. Training will take approximately one hour to complete. For more information about the training requirement, including who must complete the training and how to access the training, please review the resource Research Security Training.

This edition includes the following topics:

• Spotlight: New University Policy on Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs
• Research Security Updates from Federal Sponsors
• Reminders for Animal Researchers
• New & Updated Compliance Resources
• Research Compliance in the News

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The Office of Research Administration (ORA) and the Office of Research Compliance (ORC) will host an information session and Q&A on Wednesday, October 30^th from 11AM – 12PM via Zoom about Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs (FTRP), Malign FTRP (MFTRP), the University’s recent interim policy regarding FTRP and MFTRP, and current sponsor-specific guidance. The session will include a short presentation and ample time for questions and discussion with ORA and ORC staff.

How to Attend

Prior registration is not required – please simply join the Zoom call at the time of the session on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 11AM. [Note: For security reasons, the Zoom link is available in the email sent to all employees on Oct. 16, 2024. Please contact um.export@maine.edu if you need assistance with this.]

Submit Questions

You may ; we will also take additional questions during the session.

More Information

In the meantime, keep in mind that not all FTRPs are cause for concern, but they must be appropriately disclosed to federal research sponsors, as required. General information can be found on the University’s guidance page on Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs.

Any questions about this event may be directed to um.export@maine.edu.

The new matrix and relevant policies and resources can be accessed from NIH’s August 15th, 2024 communication, (also available on ORC’s Research Security Resources webpage under “NIH”).

Dear Colleagues,

As highlighted in a recent communication on May 31, 2024, 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 that 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. To support these federal agency requirements, the University of Maine has recently implemented a new interim Policy regarding FTRP and MFTRP (Word); this Policy and additional information about FTRP and MFTRP, including sponsor-specific information, can be found on the University’s guidance page on Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs.

We encourage you to carefully review the University’s new Policy, FTRP guidance, and sponsor-specific requirements as you prepare proposals.

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) and Office of Research Compliance (ORC) will host several sessions in the coming months to discuss the requirements and process, and to address questions. In the interim, keep in mind that not all FTRPs are cause for concern, but they must be appropriately disclosed to federal research sponsors, as required.

If after reviewing the new Policy and 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.

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

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.