Research Security Training: Risk Management and Mitigation

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will develop and evaluate a training activity about research security based on an assessment of current understanding and knowledge gaps among researchers about research security. This activity will explore actions researchers and their institutions can take to assess, reduce, and manage risks to the security of research proposed and under development, unpublished research data, and other information and to uphold scientific values. This project directly addresses the need to strengthen research security of U.S. government-supported research and development, per the National Security Presidential Memorandum – 33 (NSPM-33) and the CHIPS plus Science Act of 2022. Dissemination and use of this training will better protect U.S. research interests from both foreign and domestic risks and threats. The training module will be Internet-based, scalable, flexible, and widely accessible to researchers and stakeholders in a variety of settings, including researchers with disabilities. The training module will have standard content while also providing research institutions the flexibility to add content to address their local practices and incorporate training into their local systems. The development of the research security training module series is collaboratively funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Defense (DOD). This research security training module focused on risk management and mitigation will be designed and developed in consultation with a Content Expert Group, which includes experts in research security across government. Training development will be guided by the ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) model, a widely used, flexible, and robust model for curriculum and course design. Following the initial design work and consultation, focus groups will be convened to identify potential instructional challenges, evaluate learners’ existing knowledge and misconceptions, recognize technical and structural requirements, and determine the type and extent of instruction needed. The project team will assess the effectiveness of the module by performing user testing where training materials and instructional methods are rehearsed with a small group of learners before finalizing the materials, and then conducting a pilot study with real-world target learners to assess the effectiveness of the completed training module. Following end-user testing, evaluation, and revisions to the design, the module will be made available for dissemination to research security stakeholders, including university-based researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, academic administrators, research security administrators, and researchers and staff in government agencies and national laboratories. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.