Dear Members of the University Community,

UConn is deeply committed to international collaborations, interdisciplinary research, and global exchange of ideas, students, and scholars.  Our global collaborations enrich our University and are integral to providing the highest quality education, outreach, research, and patient care.

As you may be aware, the federal government is actively examining foreign influences on federally funded research and expressed concerns about foreign threats to research at U.S. universities.  Over the last year, congressional leaders and several federal agencies have issued statements outlining these concerns.  Statements have been issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Board (NSB/NSF), the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy regarding concerns about:

1) diversion of intellectual property,

2) failure to disclose financial support and resources,

3) duplication of research programs and funding,

4) breaches in scientific integrity, and

5) threats to national security and economic competitiveness.

All faculty, principal investigators, and research staff with sponsored funding must be aware of and follow all sponsor rules and regulations, and should be mindful of the following:

Transparency in Disclosure

· Be thorough and complete in disclosing and accounting for all forms of research support, whether or not that funding is passed through the University.  Forms of research support include financial support and resources from funding agencies, other institutions, and foreign entities (e.g., active and pending support included in grant applications and prior to award issuance).

· Foreign components of federally funded research must be disclosed and approved in advance by the sponsor.

· Significant financial interests such as equity in a publicly or non-publicly traded entity, salary support outside of UConn, or any remuneration such as income from consulting, honoraria, or paid authorships must be disclosed annually and may require prior approval.

· Extramural professional activities, whether compensated or uncompensated, should be disclosed through the consulting approval process to determine if there are potential conflicts of interest or commitment.

Additional guidance is available from the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) on several of these topics including: active and pending support, foreign components, export controls, and disclosure of financial interests. The OVPR will also implement additional trainings and outreach to assist faculty and principal investigators in these and any related matters.

UConn is committed to supporting our innovative faculty, students, and staff to promote global exchange and collaboration, while at the same time providing the University community with the necessary information to ensure the integrity of our research. It is critically important that the entire University demonstrate leadership in research and in our shared responsibility to be accountable, compliant, and mitigate risk.

Sincerely,

Susan Herbst