Applicant news—research security training required in 2026
December 15, 2025
Photo courtesy of the NSF Secure Center
Applicant works with the condensed RST module
Heads up, Fogarty grant applicants!
Research security training is currently optional for extramural researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health, yet in the coming year completion of this training will be required for all applications submitted on or after May 25, 2026.
Research security training (RST)
Research security training helps ensure compliance with the
CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the
National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (issued on January 14, 2021), and other federal requirements.
The CHIPS Act provides funds to support the domestic production of semiconductors and authorizes various programs and activities of the federal science agencies. The National Security memo aims to safeguard U.S. government-supported research endeavors against foreign government interference and exploitation. The intentions of both are to maintain an open environment fostering scientific discoveries and innovation that benefit both the U.S. and the world, while protecting intellectual capital, discouraging research misappropriation, and ensuring responsible management of U.S. taxpayer dollars.
To comply with federal requirements, new hires and international visiting scholars need to disclose foreign contracts, affiliations, and involvement with foreign talent recruitment programs during the onboarding process. Any foreign affiliation disclosures are then routed to the Research Compliance and Regulatory Affairs office for security risk assessment. For some new hires and international scholars, a management plan may be a condition for collaboration.
Here's a list of need-to-know information:
RST requirement
The new RST requirement stipulates each covered individual on a grant application must certify that they have completed their training within 12 months of the application submission date.
Covered individuals are defined as senior and/or key personnel employed by the institution and listed on the application.
Effective date of this requirement
Completion of RST and the individual and institutional certifications will be effective for applications with deadlines on or after
May 25, 2026.
Certification process
Applicant institutions need to certify that each senior/key personnel employed by the institution and listed on the application has completed RST. The
Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), via their signature on the face page of the application, will certify the applicant institution’s compliance with this requirement.
Completion date for training
All senior/key personnel listed on an NIH grant application must certify that they have completed RST
within 12 months of the date of application submission.
Collection process
NIH will collect individual certifications at the time of the application submission, through the
Biographical Sketch in SciENcv.
Training modules
The National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Defense (DOD), provided four online RST modules as a resource to the extramural community. Subsequently,
the NSF Secure Center, a site where members of the U.S. research community can manage security requirements, developed an updated and
condensed RST module that is compliant with government-wide RST requirements.
Anyone with a question about how to complete RST with certifications can direct their inquiries to the NIH Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA):
operaleadership@nih.gov.
More information
Updated December 15, 2025
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