Office of Research Security


Training Frequency

UTMB will follow sponsor guidance regarding the frequency of training. Based on current sponsor guidelines, most sponsors will require annual training. You can complete your training in UTMB Learn

As additional training resources that meet agency requirements are made available, UTMB will make those resources available to UTMB researchers. 


Collaborators

If your collaborator does not have a research security program available, they can complete the NSF SECURE Center consolidated training module to meet the requirements.

Training Requirements

Principal Investigators, Co-Principal Investigators, Senior and Key Personnel who receive federal funding are required to take Research Security training. 

Why This Training is Important

Research Security is critical to protecting federally-funded research activities from misappropriation of research to the detriment of national or economic security, related violations of research integrity, and foreign government interference in research. As part of the proposal submission process, researchers must certify that they have completed the Research Security training requirement.

This training will cover key topics including:

  • Why is Research Security important?
  • Importance of international collaboration
  • Best practices for managing and mitigating risks related to foreign interference
  • Importance of disclosure of outside engagements, conflicts of interest and commitment
  • Foreign travel security
  • Cybersecurity and protection of research data
  • Export control compliance

Confirmation that training has been completed will be performed prior to submission of proposals to federal research agencies.

For information about research security, please visit UTMB's Research Security website.  

To verify completion of a training module:
Login to the UTMB LEARN
Go to “MY TRAINING” at the top of the screen.
Click on “My Transcripts”
Sessions are listed chronologically - you may have several pages of trainings.

Sponsor Requirements

Training must be completed through the Employee Learning Center modules.  Per the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, covered individuals must complete research security training. These individuals are listed on a funding application for a research award, or someone who contributes to a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development and/or execution of an externally funded research project (example: PI, co-PI, Investigator, Researchers, Senior/Key Personnel)

In addition to some sponsors requiring completion of the training prior to submission of a proposal, some sponsors may require Research Security training as part of a risk mitigation plan for specific research projects.

Researchers who completed the previously available Research Security training (i.e., four separate modules, approximately 5 hours in length) are not required to complete the new, consolidated module unless specifically required by their sponsor, or if the four modules were completed more than 12 months prior to submission of a research proposal.


Sponsor-Specific Deadlines and Requirements

  • Department of Defense

    Deadline TBD

    No DOD-wide timeline has been issued regarding completion of the training for DOD-sponsored project.  However, researchers should carefully read through proposal guidelines to identify training requirements until such time that DOD implements agency-wide requirements. 

    DOD has issued the “2025 DoD Component Decision Matrix to Inform Fundamental Research Proposal Mitigation Decisions” to assist DoD component agencies in their efforts to review research proposals for potential conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment.
  • Department of Energy

    Deadline May 1, 2025

    Must be completed within the 12 months immediately preceding the application submission date. 
    • DOE guidance indicates that the combined modules can be completed to satisfy the training requirement,
    • Also applies to any subrecipients.
    • All covered personnel must certify that they have completed the training (certify via Current and Pending Support disclosure certification)
    • New subs added to the project must complete training within 30 calendar days of the individual joining the project.
    • DOE can expand the scope of the project personnel subject to training via the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
    • DOE Training Requirements

  • NASA

    Deadline August 5, 2026

    Covered individuals listed on any research proposal for a grant or cooperative agreement are required to complete Research Security Training. The Authorized Organizational Representatives (AORs) will have to attest that the covered individuals employed by their entity have satisfied the requirement. 

    Training is required for PI's and Co-PI's (regardless of level of effort) and for Co-I's that propose to spend 10% or more of their time in any given year on a NASA-funded award.

    NASA may designate additional personnel categories as covered individuals on a project-by-project basis which will be explicitly stated in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

    Covered individuals that join a NASA-funded project after an award has made shall also submit a biographical sketch and current and pending (other) support form and attest they have taken the requisite research security training.
  • National Science Foundation

    Deadline October 10, 2025

    Senior/key personnel listed on the application for a research and development award will be required to take the training starting October 10, 2025. 

    • Combined Training Module
    • Must be completed within the 12 months immediately preceding the application submission date.
    • As per the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, senior/key personnel are required to take training within one year of an R & D application.
    • Senior personnel who later join an existing project will also have one year from the time of joining.
    • Implementation of the training requirement aligns with the release of the latest Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
    • NSF Notice No. 149

  • National Institutes of Health

    Deadline May 2025 

    Research Security Training Module
    Senior/key personnel listed on the application for a research and development award will be required to take Research Security training starting May 25, 2026.

    Deadline October 1, 2025

    Disclosure Integrity for Just-In-Time
    Effective October 1, 2025, NIH will require that researchers submitting an Other Support document as part of the RPPR and Just-in-Time process certify that they have been trained on UTMB’s policies related to Disclosure Integrity.

    Deadline January 25, 2026

    Disclosure Integrity for New Proposals
    Effective January 25, 2026, researchers submitting a proposal to the NIH must complete training on UTMB’s policies related to Disclosure Integrity.

  • USDA

    Deadline October 10, 2025

    Training must be completed not more than one year prior to the date of application and must re-certify annually for the duration of the award. The combined training module in UTMB LEARN meets this training requirement.

    USDA Secretary's Memorandum SM 1078-014 (July 8, 2025)