Research Security: October 2026 Navigating the Storm

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Discussion Prompts:

•How are institutions handling uncertainty about what constitutes a collaboration, particularly for co-authorship, shared data, biological materials, informal scientific exchanges, or joint inventions? Is your university providing guidance that faculty can realistically apply without seeking review for every interaction?•

•Whether or not your university was a recipient, what have you learned from recent, highly visible requests to review foreign relationships of concern? Has the knowledge of the audit prompted your university to take proactive action? What actions has your institution taken or expects to take in the near term? Does your institution have or is considering a process/policy to “wind down” a collaboration when the partner becomes “restricted” after collaboration has begun?•

•In light of the recent research security audits, how is your institution deciding which international collaborations can proceed, which require institutional mitigation, and which must end? Is your university developing policies that may restrict international collaborations beyond what the federal government is currently requiring? If so, who is involved in those decisions, what information is sought to perform the evaluation, and how is your institution documenting the decision? •

•Has the temporary suspension of CMMC implementation changed your institution’s cybersecurity plans, investment priorities, or timelines? Are you continuing preparations, slowing implementation, or redirecting resources? If your institution is continuing preparations, how are you using time to address implementation challenges, and what additional clarity would help you plan for implementation to resume?