Research Security Training Program

Research Security Training Program

Research Compliance Services maintains an in-house Research Security (RS) training series Stewards of Innovation: Research Security at the University of North Carolina, in Carolina Talent.

This training series accompanies University annual cybersecurity and COI/COC training to satisfy:

  1. Research Security training regulatory requirements from the agencies (i.e., DOE, NIH, NSF)
  2. NIH Policy on Biosketch and Other Support Training.

RCS developed the RS series internally in order to apply the learning requirements to the specific processes and context of conducting research at UNC.

Access Research Security Training

Regulatory Context

The CHIPS and Science Act (42 U.S.C. § 19234) codifies a RS training requirement introduced in National Security Presidential Memorandum-33. This Memorandum charged the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation with developing RS training guidelines and modules respectively.

Beyond this Research Security training requirement, this training also satisfies the National Institutes of Health policy requirement for Biosketch and Other Support Training for Key Personnel.

Our responsibility to steward resources well lies at the foundation of our research mission and of our partnership with federal agencies. Thank you for completing Research Security training.

Frequently Asked Questions

Logistics

1. How do I complete RS training?

You may access the module at https://go.unc.edu/research-security. Carolina Talent tracks completion progress for each module independently, so it is OK to take breaks between each of the four modules.

Training completion data ports into RAMSeS every 30 minutes.

2. Who needs to complete RS training?

Scientific personnel working on federal projects must complete RS training.

See Question 2 under “Research Administration” for a full list.

RS training is recommended to the broader campus community.

3. What does RS training cover?

These modules review your research security responsibilities at UNC. The content is divided into four modules:

  1. The Tenets of Research Security
  2. Data, Disclosure, and the Research Lifecycle
  3. Travel and Research Abroad
  4. Global Collaboration in Discovery

4. How long does RS training take?

It takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete RS training.

5. How frequently do I need to complete RS training?

This training must be completed annually in order to satisfy regulatory requirements.

Research Compliance Services is monitoring agency terms for further information as to the required training frequency.

6. How should researchers external to UNC satisfy the RS training requirement?

Stewards of Innovation: Research Security at the University of North Carolina is highly-tailored to work at UNC.

External researchers must complete their home institution’s Research Security training requirements. UNC accepts other institution’s NSPM-33 compliant Research Security training. If their home institution does not have a Research Security program (i.e., a small company), then must complete the National Science Foundation’s compliant Research Security program for their work with UNC.

Implementation

1. What triggers RS training notifications?

RAMSeS sends notifications to scientific personnel listed on projects, and Carolina Talent sends notifications to all investigators supporting federal research. These notifications “respect completion”: once you complete the training requirement, you will not receive notifications again until you need to renew your training.

2. What steps did Research Compliance Service take to simplify the implementation of the RS training program?

We understand that investigators have many demands on their time. To satisfy this regulatory requirement, we took several steps to minimize administrative burden:

  1. We integrated RAMSeS and Carolina Talent: As our Learning Management System, Carolina Talent is uniquely equipped to communicate training requirements efficiently across campus. The completion data feed from Carolina Talent into RAMSeS allows Research Administrators across campus to monitor their project’s training completion.
  2. We developed an in-house curriculum: Our training modules satisfy regulatory requirements in a brief and applied format.
  3. We released the training in a phased approach: We released the training to Department of Energy researchers to gather feedback on the modules. As we maintain the modules, we will continue to incorporate campus feedback.

3. How did RCS design this training?

Research Compliance Services reviewed current campus trainings and conducted peer research to satisfy these requirements in an applied fashion to UNC Research.

4. What was RS training’s phased approach?

RS training was piloted with Department of Energy researchers before being released more widely to campus. The Department of Energy implemented a training compliance deadline of May 1st, 2025.

Other federally-funded researchers were assigned training to complete by October 1st, as this module also satisfies NIH Biosketch and Other Support training requirements.

Research Administration

1. When is the RS training required? 

    It is required for any federally-funded award received on or after October 10, 2025, and where the IPF was marked as “Proposal Approved” on or after May 1, 2025.  

    2. Who is required to take the RS Training? 

    When personnel are listed in the following roles in RAMSeS:

      • Lead PI 
      • PI 
      • Investigator 
      • Postdoctoral Research Associate 
      • Clinical Research Coordinator 
      • Fellow 
      • Fellow (individual NIH Fellowship) 
      • Other Key Participant (faculty only)
      • Faculty Advisor (only when Lead PI is a Post Doc) 
      • New Lead PI (award only) 

      3. When should the RS training be completed? 

        It is recommended that training be completed during the proposal submission process. It is required when a federal award notice/agreement is received. The training must be complete before the project is established in the system or modifications are processed on the existing project ID.

        4. How often is RS Training required.

        At this time, UNC is requiring the training to be taken annually. 

        5. How do I remove personnel on the Science & Security Training Grid

        • If you are actively working on a proposal submission, contact the OSP or SPO Proposal Specialist listed on the RAMSeS IPF.  
        • If your request is post proposal submission and related to an active award/project request being supported by your department’s SPS, please contact them to process the removal.  
        • For all other requests, contact [email protected]. 

        Important: Individuals with the Lead PI role cannot be inactivated in RAMSeS. If the original Lead PI should no longer receive Carolina Talent training reminders, email [email protected]. No changes are needed in RAMSeS. 

        6. How does RS training interact with RAMSeS?

        The Internal Processing Form wills display training completion data for applicable personnel on the Compliance tab. Be advised that Carolina Talent ports completion data to RAMSeS every thirty-minutes. 

        7. What should I do if I receive a project with expanded training terms?

        If you receive a project with training terms beyond this Research Security training requirement, then contact Research Science and Security for guidance. 

        Contacts

        1. Who should I contact regarding a technical issue?

        Here are some common fixes:

        • Copy and paste go.unc.edu/research-security into your browser.
        • Use Firefox or Chrome to access the training.
        • Verify that you have access to Carolina Talent.
          • If you do not have Carolina Talent access, and you are UNC Staff, then your HR representative likely needs to reactivate your job profile in Connect Carolina.

        Otherwise, contact Research Science and Security.

        2. Who should I contact to provide feedback?

        Contact Research Science and Security or complete our feedback survey.

        Additional Resources

        Transparency and Disclosure Resources in Sponsored Research

        1. Biosketch and Other Support

        2. Conflict of Interest

        3. Conflict of Commitment

        4. Sponsored Programs Resources

        Travel and Shipping Resources

        1. Travel Resources

        2. Telework Resources

        3. Shipping Resources

        Global Collaboration

        1. Global Workforce

        2. Global Collaboration