UW is required by the to have an integrated program for research security. The UW Research Security program comprises various components which, together, fulfill federal legal and regulatory requirements. While the program centers on research, it applies to all university activities.
Sharing controlled items and information with a foreign national as well as shipping-controlled items to a foreign destination may require export licensing. There are some export license exceptions.
Primary responsibility for compliance with export regulations falls on the Principal Investigator. The following activities may be subject to export control regulations, and can occur at any time during your research:
More information about these activities can be found on the Export Controls webpage.
Federal regulations require the University, as a 鈥渃overed institution鈥� receiving federal science and engineering support in excess of $50 million per year to register international travel of covered individuals and ensure covered individuals receive foreign travel security training. The University must establish and operate a research security program that includes an organizational record of international travel as a component of a travel reporting program.
All personnel, including staff, faculty and other academic personnel, and students, involved in UW research are required to register all international travel for in the UW International Travel Registry
All Covered Individuals are required to register all personal international travel for teaching, research, or conferences (attending or presenting) in the UW International Travel Registry.
The University must implement periodic training on foreign travel security to Covered Individuals initially and at least every six years. All personnel, including staff, faculty and other academic personnel, and students, involved in UW research are required to complete this training. Please note: This training is currently in development.
The 乱伦社区 is committed to international collaborative research and academic activities. The caliber of our researchers and students make the UW a leader in quality and impact. However, some international activities鈥痚xpose the UW community to substantial risks and鈥痬ay鈥痠nterfere with鈥痶he University鈥檚 mission鈥痮r鈥痠nfringe upon our culture of academic freedom. Activities associated with increased legal, reputational, or financial risk require an additional review.
The International Activity Assessment Process is required prior to undertaking UW activities when:
or
Involvement means that a party to the activity is any of the following (not exhaustive list):
Involvement by an international 乱伦社区 enrolled student, undergraduate or graduate level, does not qualify for this assessment process while at UW. However, UW students and postdocs who independently collaborate with or sign an agreement with international parties that meet the above criteria must inform their mentor and follow the assessment process.
The International Activities Committee includes leadership from the Office of Research, UW Global, UW Innovation, Corporate & Foundation Relations, Finance, and the Chief Information Security Officer.
Recommendations of the International Activities Committee are advisory to the President and Provost.
The University as well as individual UW researchers are required to make certain certifications regarding compliance with federal research security regulations.聽 Non-compliance or falsely certifying compliance presents individual and institutional risks.
The University as well as individual UW researchers are required to report certain financial and other support from, and collaborations with, international entities.
In accordance with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, all faculty, staff and other University personnel are prohibited from participating in malign foreign talent recruitment programs (MFTRPs), detailed in the July 2024 Presidential Memorandum. Further information about MFTRPs can be found on the Foreign Interests in Sponsored Programs.
Critical and Emerging Technologies are a subset of advanced technologies that are potentially significant to U S national security. Though not a strategy document, may inform government-wide and agency-specific efforts concerning U S technological competitiveness and national security. Research in these and related areas may be subject to existing and developing federal regulation and monitoring.
The University engages and transacts with many parties, including consultants, customers, and others who carry out work, research, or provide goods and services to UW.
Restricted Party Screening (RPS) is a step the University carries out to prevent the unauthorized transfer of sensitive technologies and materials, play a part in economic & national security efforts, and minimize other risks to the institution.
RPS is the review of institutions and individuals against restricted party lists maintained by government agencies, international organizations, and regulatory bodies to identify threats to national security, export regulations, and trade sanctions.
By performing RPS, the University can continue to responsibly lead in innovations and scientific advancement.
The 乱伦社区 maintains a subscription to Descartes™ Visual Compliance software that searches federal restricted party lists, automatically updates as changes to the lists occur, and notifies UW of potential matches.
UW personnel who will conduct RPS in their area of responsibility must .
If there are any questions on screening, or your unit needs training on how to screen, contact researchsecurity@uw.edu for further guidance. This applies to all UW units and activities.
Restricted Party Screening should occur across the University, and prior to these activities involving an international nexus and/or a foreign party:
Privacy protections for individuals whose personal information is collected or otherwise used in research apply to all UW research and are considered integral to overall research security.
Federal research sponsors, such as NSF and DOE, require completion of Research Security Training by all 鈥�covered individuals鈥� participating on a project before an application for funding is submitted as of May 25 2025.聽The definition of covered individual varies by federal agency. Generally, however, it refers to 鈥渁n individual who (A) contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of an R&D project proposed to be carried out with an鈥� award from a Federal research agency; and (B) is designated as a covered individual by the Federal research agency concerned.鈥� See the
The USDA requires all individuals employed to work on a USDA award to complete Research Security Training (see .
Currently, research project-specific training in Export Controls, a component of Research Security, is required for certain activities. The UW Office of Export Controls is available to provide guidance as well as training, where it is required.
More information about Research Security training can be found in these FAQs.
If you are the PI of an impacted proposal, ensure all covered individuals have completed training ahead of the anticipated submission date. This research security training requirement can be met by completing the CITI-hosted training.
Completion of Research Security Training will be reflected in MyResearch Training Transcript (MRTT). Completion records in MRTT will be linked for each individual listed on the PI, Personnel and Organizations page of the eGC1.聽 Campus units can check the completion record for researchers in the unit regularly, in the (UW Net ID Required).
The Office of Sponsored Programs will verify that individuals named in federal proposals have completed training in alignment with sponsor policies.
As a Researcher, your role carries with it responsibilities for research security.聽 If you are the Principal Investigator (PI), you are also responsible for overall compliance of the project (and its associated personnel) with research security regulations.
Checklist
If your project/lab/research group involves any of the following, research security regulations apply
As a Research Administrator, your role carries with it responsibilities for research security.聽 Depending upon the duties of your position, you may be responsible for ensuring compliance by identifying, tracking, and/or reporting specific research security components applicable to a research project or lab.聽 Working with the PI and project or lab personnel, you can facilitate compliance by understanding research security policies, regulations and best practices and assisting in their application.
Checklist
If your project/lab/research group involves any of the following, research security regulations apply:
As staff to a research project or lab, your role carries with it responsibilities for research security.聽 You are responsible for understanding research security policies, regulations and best practices as they apply to your work and to the work of those you supervise.
Depending upon the duties of your position, you may also have an administrative role in ensuring compliance by identifying, tracking, and/or reporting specific research security components applicable to a research project or lab.聽 If so, working with the PI and project or lab personnel, you can facilitate compliance by understanding and assisting in their application.
Checklist
If your PI鈥檚 project/lab/research group involves any of the following, research security regulations apply:
As an undergraduate student, graduate student or postdoctoral scholar working on a research project, your role carries with it responsibilities for research security.聽 You are responsible for understanding research security policies, regulations and best practices as they apply to your work and to the work of those you supervise.
Checklist
If the project you are working on or the lab/research group in which you are working involves any of the following, research security regulations may apply:
The 乱伦社区 aims to provide a research security focused culture while maintaining an open-research environment. Research Security by Design is a resource developed by The UW Office of Sponsored Programs to help build research security into a UW research program.
Email researchsecurity@uw.edu to:
The Chief Research Security Officer is UW鈥檚 designated single point of contact for communications with the federal government on matters involving Research Security. Contact the Chief Research Security Officer, Jasmine Campbell, at jlnc@uw.edu.