Research Security Training
The Department of Energy will require for any NOFO application with due date after May 1, 2025, that covered individuals complete a Research Security Training within the 12 months prior to the application. Covered individuals will need to certify via Current and Pending Support that they have completed the training. Other agencies will require this training in the future as well.
A Covered Individual means an individual who (a) contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the development or execution of the scope of work of a project funded by DOE or proposed for funding by DOE, and (b) is designated as a covered individual by DOE. At a minimum, DOE designates as covered individuals any principal investigator (PI); project director (PD); co-principal investigator (Co-PI); co-project director (Co-PD); project manager; and any individual regardless of title that is functionally performing as a PI, PD, Co-PI, Co-PD, or project manager.
Per the "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022," senior/key personnel are required to take the training within one year of a research and development (R&D) application. Per Section 10634 of the "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022," covered individuals (senior/key personnel) listed on the application for a research and development award are required to take the training. Institutions/organizations will need to certify annually that these individuals have completed research security training that meets the guidelines in the act. The training requirements are expected to be consistent across the federal government.
We strongly encourage researchers to take these courses, in particular, the Research Security Training course as soon as possible through CITI, as this will allow for a permanent record of completion.
Three courses are available:
- Research Security Training (4 modules)
- Research Security Advanced Refresher (8 modules)
- Undue Foreign Influence: Risks and Mitigations (4 modules)
Add these courses to your CITI training by visiting the CITI website. Once logged in, click on “View Courses” that are available to the University of Houston. Go to the bottom of the page that lists the courses and click “Add a Course” in the “Learner Tools for University of Houston” box. Scroll down to Question 11 (“Research Security”) and select the courses you want to add.
Course Modules
The Research Security Training course was developed by the National Science Foundation as part of its Research Security Training program. It consists of four modules:
- Introduction to Research Security (ID 21304)
- The Importance of Disclosure (ID 21305)
- Risk Mitigation and Management (ID 21306)
- The Importance of International Collaboration (ID 21307)
The Research Security Advanced Refresher adds an additional eight modules:
- Introduction to Research Security (ID 21269)
- Risk Mitigation and Research Security (ID 21270)
- Cybersecurity and Research Security (ID 21271)
- International Collaborations (ID 21272)
- International Travel (ID 21273)
- Foreign Interference (ID 21274)
- Federal Funding & Foreign Gifts and Contracts (ID 21275)
- Disclosures and Transparency (ID 21276)
The Undue Foreign Influence: Risks and Mitigations course has four modules:
- Introduction to Undue Foreign Influence Impacts and Concerns in Academia (ID 20161)
- Reporting, Research Integrity, and Effective Practices to Manage Undue Foreign Influence Risk (ID 20162)
- Cybersecurity and Compliance Considerations for Safeguarding Research (ID 20163)
- Nondiscrimination Considerations When Managing Undue Foreign Influence (ID 20164)