Everything that leaves U.S. borders is considered an export. Shipments of items (e.g., materials, equipment, technical data, software) sent to international entities are subject to U.S. export control laws. Prior to shipping an item internationally, UConn and UConn Health employees are required by policy to perform a due diligence check and communicate with the appropriate UConn offices to help ensure you are lawfully shipping your item.

Shipping is managed by the individual UConn or UConn Health employee creating the shipment. UConn and UConn Health employees are responsible for contacting UConn (Export Control Office) ECO to review shipments sent internationally to ensure export control requirements are met.

• Restricted Party Screening: The ECO will conduct Restricted Party Screening of the intended recipients and recipient organizations to ensure those individuals/organizations are not on a federal government restricted parties list.
• Classifying and Licensing: Items listed on the USML or with an ECCN may require export licenses with the relevant federal agencies. If you know your item’s classification or you are unsure of your item’s classification, please contact UConn ECO to help classify the shipment contents and/or determine if a license is required to ship the item(s).
• Biological Materials: Shipments of biological materials (e.g., microorganisms, cell cultures, animal, plant or human samples, etc.) to a collaborator, industry partner, or back to the University from a field research site must comply with Dangerous Goods (Hazardous Materials) shipping regulations. Individuals planning to ship biological materials must complete training through Environmental Health and Safety at the Storrs and regional campuses or UConn Health to learn how to properly classify, identify, package, mark, label, and document shipments of biological materials and dry ice.
•  Hazardous Materials: Shipments of hazardous chemicals, batteries, wastes, and other materials must comply with regulations of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), International Air Transport Association (IATA), and International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) when shipping by ground, air, or vessel.
• Material Transfer Agreements (MTA): An MTA is a contract that governs the transfer of various biological and research materials between two or more organizations. MTAs are reviewed by and UConn ECO. If you have questions regarding your MTA or if your shipment items require an MTA, please contact Ana Fidantsef (fidantsef@uconn.edu) at UConn TCS or UConn ECO.

To learn more about exports and international shipping, UConn offers FREE export control training through CITI to provide additional guidance on international shipment requirements. This training is freely available to all UConn and UConn Health faculty, employees, and students with a NetID. UConn Policy requires all export control project personnel affiliated with a Technology Control Plan (TCP), Technology Control & Security Plan (TCSP), or Access Control Plan (PICACP) to complete international shipping training.

UConn’s Export Control Office works with shipping partners across the university to quickly review international shipping requests.

Please contact exportcontrol@uconn.edu with any questions regarding international shipments.