Research Security Training

The Research Security Training course is available to the MIT community in the Atlas Learning Center [requires Touchstone]. 

To facilitate compliance reporting, key personnel must join a training group in the Atlas Learning Center:

• Go to the Research Security for Federal Funding training group
• When you join this training group, the course modules will be added to the required training on your My Training Needs page.

The training consists of four modules, which must be taken in order:

• Research Security 1: What is Research Security?
• Research Security 2: Disclosures
• Research Security 3: Manage and Mitigate Risk
• Research Security 4: Principled International Collaboration

When you have completed all four modules, you will receive a notice of course completion for your records.

Estimated time to complete all four modules: 1-1.5 hours

Pursuant to NSPM-33 and 42 U.S.C. sec. 19234 of the CHIPS and Science Act, agencies will begin to require all “covered individuals” who are engaged in federally funded research to complete research security training. "Covered individuals" are those who contribute significantly to the scientific development or execution of a research and development project, including:

• Principal Investigators (PIs) 
• Co-PIs
• Senior/Key research personnel 

These individuals have responsibility for the design, conduct and reporting of the research.

Please note, federal funding agencies have the option to add additional covered individuals, even on a project-by-project basis. Read the funding announcement and/or award terms carefully for any additional agency or project-specific covered individuals.

Going forward, proposals due on or after each of the dates below will not be accepted by MIT Research Administration Services (RAS) unless the covered individuals have completed the training within the past 12 months. In effect, the training must be completed at least 5 full business days prior to the proposal deadline. In some cases this will require quick action.

• DOE: Effective May 1, 2025, the DOE already requires covered individuals to certify completion of the research security training at the time of application, award, or award modification. The additional requirement described above will apply to proposals that are due to DOE on or after October 1, 2025.
• NIH: NIH has delayed its implementation of research security training requirements.
• NSF: Beginning on October 10, 2025, NSF will require senior/key personnel to certify completion of research security training at the proposal stage and at the time of a new award or modification

In addition to the proposal deadlines outlined above and the December 31 deadline for all federally funded researchers at MIT, covered individuals who are expecting a new award, or award modification, from NSF or DOE are also encouraged to take the training as soon as possible in order to certify completion of the training at the time of award.

If you have completed MIT’s training within the past 12 months, no action is required.

If you have already completed the training developed by NSF or training provided by another research institution that specifically fulfills the federally mandated NSPM-33 requirement, you can submit your certificate of course completion to ra-help@mit.edu to receive credit in MIT’s system of record.