Transparency in Disclosure of Foreign Relationships and Activities
All foreign components of federally funded research should be disclosed during proposals, progress reports, and final technical reports. Investigators with external funding should carefully review the sponsor’s current disclosure requirements and contact the 91¸£Àû Office of Research Administration (ORA) for assistance or further guidance. In addition, investigators should:
- Review and update ‘Current and Pending Support’ (C&P) information and ‘Other support’ information in pending proposals and active awards per sponsor-specific guidance.
- – Sept. 1, 2022
- NSF current disclosure requirements are available on the site linked above.
- DoD Memorandum
- (includes a Decision Matrix DoD will use to assess a researcher’s associations, affiliations, collaborations, and funding)
- – Sept. 5, 2024
- – Sept. 1, 2022
- Review and update biosketches and ensure all professional appointments and collaborations, both foreign and domestic, are disclosed according to sponsor requirements in proposals and reports.
- – Sept. 1, 2022
- Current links to the Common Biosketch and Common Current & Pending Forms are available on the site linked above.
- (includes a Decision Matrix DoD will use to assess a researcher’s associations, affiliations, collaborations, and funding)
- – Sept. 5, 2024
- – Sept. 1, 2022
- Ensure appropriate disclosure of foreign components for NIH-supported projects (see ).
- – June 1, 2026
- – May 27, 2026
- – Sept. 29, 2026
Conflicts of Interest
Faculty and staff should also familiarize themselves with the University of Maine System (UMS) and 91¸£Àû policies applicable to Conflict of Interest and outside employment and be fully transparent in disclosing outside interests and commitments. These policies include:
- 91¸£Àû Policies and Procedures for Financial Disclosures and Conflicts of Interest in Extramurally Sponsored Activities (Word)
- More information on 91¸£Àû’s Financial Conflict of Interest process can be found on the Office of Research Compliance (ORC) website: Financial Conflict of Interest
- Outside Employment Article(s) in your applicable
Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs (FTRP)
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 (CHIPS Act) 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).
Researchers must familiarize themselves with institutional and agency requirements for disclosure of participation in FTRP and prohibitions against participating in any MFTRPs. 91¸£Àû policy and additional information about FTRP and MFTRP, including sponsor-specific information, can be found on the University’s guidance on Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs.