Research Security Training - Funding Proposal and Award Procedures

Overview

In May 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) began requiring research security training by all "Covered Individuals" listed in a proposal application. Since then, other select agencies are now required to implement training requirements for grant recipients (the National Science Foundation, for example) and institutions can expect similar guidance from other federal and non-federal agencies soon. Therefore, Research Security Training (RST) will now be a required component of the proposal development process for all covered persons identified within a proposal application being submitted to any federal grant proposal (DOD, DOE, NIH, NSF and others).

Why Training Is Required

The United States Government provides significant support for basic and applied research to a variety of research institutions and programs. Some foreign governments have demonstrated an increased threat to the open and collaborative nature of the United States R&D Enterprise. Therefore, the federal government continues to take steps to protect its investment in Research and Development. As a result, federal agencies have been directed to require covered individuals to take annual training on research security prior to submitting applications for funding.

Who Must Take Training

A "Covered Individual" is anyone who contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of a research and development project proposed to be carried out with a research and development award from a Federal research agency and is designated as a covered individual by the Federal Research Agency. At a minimum, this applies to Project Directors/Principal Investigators, co-Principal Investigators and other key personnel as identified on the grant project.

Procedure

At Proposal Stage

UMKC Personnel (Covered Individuals/Senior Key Personnel)

  • Complete the "Research Security Training Combined" course in CITI prior to submission.
  • CITI training is accessible via SSO log-in by following instructions in the announcement.

Non-UMKC Personnel (Covered Individuals/Senior Key Personnel)

  • If part of a subcontract, their institution should confirm via the Subrecipient Commitment Form that Covered Individuals have completed Research Security Training within the last year.
  • If not part of a subcontract, contact Export Control for access to an alternative training module in eCompliance.

Principal Investigator or Department

At proposal, the PI or Department Administrator will:

  • Complete the Covered Individual Form (PDF).
  • Verify that all UMKC Covered Individuals have completed Research Security Training through CITI.
  • If there are non-UMKC Covered Individuals on the proposal, confirm the Subrecipient has attested that their Covered Individuals have completed the Research Security Training requirement.

If the subrecipient indicates their Covered Individuals have not completed training, contact ORI for access to an alternative training module in eCompliance.

  • Submit to Sponsored Projects the Covered Individual Form and eCompliance documentation showing all Covered Individuals and completion dates.

Sponsored Projects, Pre-Award

At proposal, the Grants and Contracts Administrator (GCA) will:

  • Review the Covered Individual Form for completeness and accuracy compared to the proposal application forms.
  • Review documentation verifying all UMKC Covered Individuals have completed Research Security Training within the last 12 months.
  • If a UMKC Covered Individual has not completed training, immediately alert the PI and Department to have that person complete the training.

At Award Stage

If additional Covered Individuals are added to the project after proposal, the Principal Investigator must ensure those individuals complete Research Security Training. No additional steps are needed to process the award for this certification.

During Project

All Covered Individuals must complete training annually via CITI.

Contact

Vacant, Research Security Officer
University of Missouri-Kansas City

Office of Research Security