Effective May 1st, 2026, the Export Compliance Office (ECO) and the Research Security Office (RSO) (formerly Science and Security Office) are realigning transactional duties. While both programs retain subject matter experts in Export Controls and Research Security regulations respectively, transactional work will be split between the ECO and RSO based on the transaction type and will result in one approval per transaction.
A non–exhaustive list of transaction types managed by the ECO and RSO respectively:
Export Compliance Office
- Visa Sponsorship Reviews
- International Travel reviews
- International Telework reviews
- International Shipping/Hand-carry reviews and related government documentation processing
- Export Controls language in sponsored programs and contracts
Research Security Office:
- External Professional Activities for Pay (EPAP) requests
- Common Forms grant disclosure requirements
- Foreign Component consultation
- Research Security training
- Department of Justice data reviews
- Consultation for International collaboration agreements
- Federal reporting and investigation requirements
Each office will continue with training and awareness activities related to their regulatory ambit.
We expect this to be a positive change which will reduce the administrative burden on our client units. Stay tuned for further updates on the visa review process, which will reflect this administrative restructuring.
For questions, please contact Quinton Johnson, AVC for Research Compliance.