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    Research Security Training

    The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 requires that PIs and key personnel complete annual research security training on an implementation schedule to be driven by federal funding agencies. The Department of Energy (DoE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) are the first to implement this training requirement for new proposal submissions effective May 1, 2025, with the other federal funding agencies (NSF, NIH, etc.) anticipated to release implementation dates in 2025 or early 2026.

    Requirement:  To meet this research security training requirement, UConn must require all “covered individuals” (defined below) on DoE awards to complete research security training by May 1, 2025. Starting May 1, 2025, the DoE will require certification that all covered individuals listed on the proposal have completed research security training within one year prior to proposal submission. UConn’s Sponsor Program Services (SPS) cannot submit a proposal to the DoE on or after May 1, 2025 unless all covered individuals have received training.  Any new covered individuals added to the project must also certify that they have completed the training within 30 calendar days of joining the project.

    Please note that a particular RFP may require all participants on a project to certify receipt of research security training. Please review your RFP for any such requirements.

    All other researchers on federal grants are encouraged to complete this research security training now in anticipation of the upcoming implementation dates to be released by other federal funding agencies. The training is currently open to all UConn and UConn Health employees and will facilitate your readiness for this requirement once implemented by your targeted funding agencies.

    Applicability: The law introduces a new term of “covered individuals” subject to this research security training requirement. A covered individual is an individual who:

    • Contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the development or execution of the scope of work of a project proposed for funding by a federal agency; and
    • Is designated as a principal investigator (PI), project director (PD), coprincipal investigator (Co-PI), co-investigator (Co-I), co-project director (Co-PD), project manager, key personnel, and any individual regardless of title (inclusive of consultants, graduate students, or postdoctoral associates) that is functionally performing in one of these named roles.

    At proposal, covered individuals will default to PIs, key personnel, anyone identified as responsible for the design, conduct or reporting of the research, and anyone else identified by the PI as a contributing in a substantive, meaningful way on the Internal Proposal Routing form. These individuals will be required to complete research security training before proposal submission for DoE proposals starting May 1, 2025.

    Training: Research security training is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to understand behaviors that have led to improper or illegal transfers of U.S. government-supported research and development (R&D) based on incidents reported by federal research agencies. The training will also highlight the critical role of U.S. researchers in global scientific discoveries and the importance of attracting international talent to U.S. research institutions.

    The UConn is using the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program’s “Research Security Training (Combined)” module to meet this training requirement. This CITI training module has been developed specifically for IHE researchers as a condensed version of NSF’s four-hour Research Security Training modules. Please allow yourself 1.5 hours to complete the CITI training. You can complete the training in stages and save your progress.

    To complete the training, follow these steps:

    1. Register for the training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program.
    2. To create an account in CITI, click on the Register button in the upper right.
      • Returning users may log in in the upper right corner.
    1. Click on “Log in through my Organization” at the top of the page.

     

    Storrs and Regional Campuses: 

    1. Enter “UConn – Storrs and Regional Campuses” in the search box.
    2. Select “Continue to SSO Login/instructions.” The CITI Single Sign-on (SSO) will use your UConn NetID and password for your account (the system will ask you if there is another CITI account you would like to associate with your NetID account, and this option can be used to merge an old account with your new SSO account).
    3. Follow the prompts to create an account.
    4. Once you are logged in and under the UConn affiliation, on the page under your “Active Courses” and “Courses Ready to Begin,” scroll down to the gray box labeled “Learner Tools for UConn – Storrs and Regional Campuses” and select “Add a Course.”
    5. Under the “Select Curriculum” webpage, scroll to the bottom of the webpage and tick the box for “I would like to review the Research Security”
    6. Under the “Select Curriculum – Research Security” webpage, tick the box for “Research Security Training (Combined).”
    7. Complete the training.

     

    UConn Health:

    1. Select Your Organization Affiliation – In the box to “Search for organization,” enter “University of Connecticut Health Center,” selecting this option when it becomes available. (Note: Be sure to include Health Center in your selection)
    2. Follow the prompts to create an account.
    3. Course Enrollment Procedure –Once logged into CITI, under “Institutional Courses” to the right of “University of Connecticut Health Center,” click “View Courses” to see any assigned courses.
    4. Click “Add a Course.”
    5. You will see multiple questions on the CITI course enrollment page. For the purposes of the Research Security Training requirement, you will need to scroll down to Question 11, example below. Please check the Research Security Training (Combined) course to satisfy the Research Security Training requirement.

     

    —————————–Question 11——————————-

    Research Security

    Please select “Research Security Training (Combined)” from the options below:

    o   Research Security Training (Combined)

    A condensed and combined single-module course based on the NSF Research Security Training.
    o   Research Security Advanced Refresher
    o   Research Security Training
    o   Undue Foreign Influence: Risks and Mitigations
    1. Complete the training.

     

    Your Completion Report will automatically be shared with SPS and will also be accessible to you and SPS at any time from the CITI Program.

    If you experience problems locating or logging on to the training, please email researchsecurity@uconn.edu.

    For more information on Research Security and Export Controls, please visit the OVPR Research Security Training page.

    Thank you for your attention to this important new requirement. Your cooperation is essential in meeting these new research security requirements and maintaining the highest standards of compliance at UConn.