Research Security and Conflicts of Commitment
January 31, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
In the past several years, the federal government (including the agencies that sponsor much of the research at Boston University) has become increasingly concerned that some foreign governments do not hold the same values that we hold in the United States and that these governments are taking unethical advantage of the openness of the research environments in our universities. Recent widely reported legal actions taken by the Justice Department reflect this concern.
At Boston University, we must maintain our commitment to an open and collaborative research environment, while also complying with a regulatory landscape that is evolving to reflect the government’s heightened security and intellectual property concerns. I am writing to update you on what we are doing to achieve this goal.
In May 2019, I asked Gloria Waters, Vice President and Associate Provost for Research, to organize an ad hoc committee to deliberate and make recommendations about how to secure research on our campuses against theft and ensure that Boston University researchers’ commitments to the University and to the agencies supporting their research are not compromised by external relationships.
The Report of the ad hoc Committee on Research Security and Conflicts of Commitment is available on the Research Support website. It describes recommendations in five areas:
- Communication and education to ensure faculty and staff compliance with regulations;
- Development of a new policy for conflicts of commitment by faculty and a policy for visiting scholars on campus;
- Clarifying faculty reporting obligations on grant submissions and on external activity reports;
- Enhancing restricted party screening to ensure compliance with federal Export Control and other laws; and
- Strengthening relationships with regional federal security agencies.
Several of these recommendations are already being implemented, including a formalized plan for communication with our research community and expanded reporting by researchers on grant and report submissions. We also have discussions underway about new policies for Conflict of Commitment and Visiting Scholars. These policies are being considered through our normal faculty governance processes with a path to ratification by the University Council.
I have also asked Gloria Waters to form a standing committee of faculty and administrative leaders to coordinate and monitor our compliance with research regulations. She will announce the formation of the committee soon.
I recognize that the regulatory environment for sponsored research is increasingly complex, and I hope that the changes recommended by the ad hoc committee will keep our faculty and staff abreast of changes in regulations as they evolve and enhance our ability to honor the letter and spirit of the law and regulations.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Brown
President
cc: Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Karen Antman, Provost of the Medical Campus and Dean of the School of Medicine