Institutional Research Effectiveness & Assessment
Research Security
To protect U.S. Government-supported research and development from foreign interference and misappropriation and ensure the proper handling of academic and/or research data and information resources from unauthorized modification, deletion, or disclosure, the University of South Florida is required to implement a research security program that conforms to the minimum standards outlined in the National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0. Specifically, these directives require that the university protect digital information and systems from cyber threats, ensure the security of researchers and their work when they travel abroad, provide training to researchers on how to protect their work from various threats and on the regulations that control the export of certain types of information and technology, and ensure appropriate disclosure of outside activity and potential conflicts of interest or conflicts of commitment.
Role of Institutional Research Effectiveness and Assessment (IREA)
To maintain transparency and integrity, researchers and research organizations must disclose relevant information when applying for federal R&D awards to enable sponsors to assess conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment. Violation of disclosure requirements can have serious consequences for the institution, including permanent debarment from receiving federal financial assistance (e.g., grants, student financial aid, loans). Work in conjunction with Research Integrity & Compliance, the Office of Compliance & Ethics, the Office of the General Counsel, Information Technology, and colleges and administrative units to ensure that adequate controls are implemented to facilitate disclosure and foster compliance and assist with the development of appropriate training modules as needed.
Research Security Training
Federal agencies require that covered individuals on a research and development award complete training on research security. Covered individual, as defined in the Definitions section of the CHIPS and Science Act, means anyone who:
- contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of a research and development project proposed to be carried out with a research and development award from a Federal agency; and
- is designated as a covered individual by the Federal research agency concerned.
As part of an application for a research and development award from the agency:
- Each covered individual listed on the application for a research and development award must certify that he or she has completed research security training within one year of such application.
- USF must certify that each covered individual who is employed by the university and listed on the application has completed such training.
How to Meet Research Security Training Requirements
Through USF’s CITI institutional account, three course options are available, all of which will satisfy the training requirement:
- Research Security Training – Stage 1 Basic Course
These are the four modules developed by NSF. This will take approximately three to four hours to complete. - Research Security Training (Combined) – Stage 1 Basic Course
This is the condensed version of the four NSF modules and takes approximately one hour to complete. - Research Security Advanced Refresher - Stage 1 Basic Course
This course comprises eight modules, each of which takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
If you have any difficulty logging into CITI or accessing the courses, please contact Research Integrity & Compliance’s (RIC) Director, Jay Ramage, at jramage@usf.edu for assistance.