Regulatory Alerts

The Division of Research provides timely updates about changing regulations and policies affecting your research program and compiles them on the Regulatory Alerts webpage. Current Regulatory Alerts provide updates on new Responsible Conduct of Research training requirements, safe and inclusive workplace requirements, data management plans, and support disclosure and biosketch requirements.

Scroll down or use the navigation bar at the right to view articles. The articles provide synopses with links to additional details.

As new articles are added, past editions of Regulatory Alerts will be available on the archived page, where you can also search topics by keyword.

Researchers seeking funding from the U.S. Department of Defense may need plans to mitigate the risk of unwanted foreign influence.

Per the “Policy for Risk-Based Security Reviews of Fundamental Research,” all fundamental research projects that are selected for award by the DOD must go through a review for potential conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment that could compromise national security or competitiveness.

Risk indicators include individuals participating in foreign talent recruitment programs or having funding affiliation or association with countries of concern. For its review, DoD will be looking at information included in Current and Pending and Biosketch Disclosures. Clemson’s Office of Sponsored Programs has provided useful materials and webinars on disclosure requirements.

The review begins after a proposal is selected for technical merit. Depending on the outcome of the review, the university may need to develop a mitigation plan for the project under review. Potential mitigation measures may include additional training, termination of relationships deemed problematic, or other measures suggested by the DoD. 

Proposals deemed to pose a security risk that could compromise national security and competitiveness could be rejected.

Questions on the new DOD policy, or requests for assistance creating mitigation plans, can be directed to Rhonda Ryals, director of Export Compliance and Research Security, at rryals@clemson.edu.

Effective July 31, the National Science Foundation has expanded requirements for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training. The requirement for RCR training now includes “faculty and other senior personnel,” meaning RCR training is no longer limited to students. Additionally, RCR training offerings must include “mentor training and mentorship.”

More information. 

For more information about RCR training, please visit the Office of Research Compliance.

Individual investigators now must obtain their own licenses to order and store controlled substances for research. The Office of Occupational and Environmental Safety (OES) is coordinating with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to implement this new requirement. Researchers using analgesics, anesthetics, sedatives, etc., should visit the OES Controlled Substances page to determine whether to initiate the registration and licensing process. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will incorporate the licensing requirements into reviews of protocols that list the use of controlled substances and will issue a policy on this by the fall semester.

Funding agencies are requiring research teams to develop plans that ensure equity and safety across all research work environments.

Proposals to the National Science Foundation, for example, now must include a plan for providing a safe and inclusive environment for field and off-campus research teams.

The U.S. Department of Energy requires applicants to submit a Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plan as an appendix to their proposal narrative.

Guidance on the requirements of these two agencies on the safe worksplaces page. Guidance from other agencies will be posted to the page when available.

A virtual workshop is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 6 at 3:30 p.m. to provide information on Diversity and Inclusion Plans for NSF and DOE proposals. Details on the workshop will be released at a later date. 

Federal agencies are taking numerous steps in accordance with National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 that will require additional information to be disclosed in proposals. Steps by federal agencies include:

• Expanding the types of information that must be disclosed on current and pending/other support and biosketch documents;
• Requiring investigator certification of the accuracy and completeness of this information; and
• Standardizing the reporting forms.

A virtual workshop is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m. to provide information on current and pending Disclosure Requirements & SciENcv. Details on the workshop will be released at a later date. 

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Federal agencies have begun to implement data management and sharing plans in response to a directive from the Office of Science and Technology Policy that requires public access to federally funded research by December 31, 2025.

NASA and the National Institutes of Health have published plans. These instructions will be incorporated into grant guidelines. Applications that are not compliant risk return without review.

A virtual workshop is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. to provide information on NIH Data Management and Sharing Plans. Details on the workshop will be released at a later date. 

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