Research Security Training & Resources for Faculty, Staff, and Students

Principal Investigators, Co-Principal Investigators, Senior and Key Personnel who receive federal funding are required to take Research Security training.

Why This Training is Important

Research Security is critical to protecting federally-funded research activities from misappropriation of research to the detriment of national or economic security, related violations of research integrity, and foreign government interference in research. As part of the proposal submission process, researchers must certify that they have completed the Research Security training requirement.

This training will cover key topics including:

Why is Research Security important?
Importance of international collaboration
Best practices for managing and mitigating risks related to foreign interference
Importance of disclosure of outside engagements, conflicts of interest and commitment
Foreign travel security
Cybersecurity and protection of research data
Export control compliance

For more information on research security, please visit ORPA's Research Security main website.

To verify completion of a Research Security training module:

Login to the Employee Learning Center
Go to “My Learning History”
Click on “Click here for completed eLearning history (recorded courses)”
Sessions are listed alphabetically - you may have several pages of trainings and there is no way to sort by date.

All modules start with “Module”.

Technical Issues

Some users have reported issues with the Modules “freezing” while playing.

We have identified a workaround that does not require your to restart the module. Note that these instructions are only applicable to Modules 2 and 3.

In the top right (or left, depending upon the module) of the screen there are three parallel lines that take you to the Menu.
You will see checkmarks next to each "slide" that you have already viewed. If you click on the next unchecked slide, it should take you to the next screen.

We will continue to evaluate solutions to this issue and apologize for the inconvenience.

Access Training Modules

Training Modules [Employee Learning Center] Each module is approximately one (1) Hour
Princeton Research Security Training Supplement Document

The Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) will confirm that training has been completed prior to submission of proposals to federal research agencies.

Sponsor Requirements

Training must be completed through the Employee Learning Center modules.

Sponsors may require Research Security training as part of a risk mitigation plan for specific research projects.

As per the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, covered individuals must complete research security training. These individuals are listed on a funding application for a research award, or someone who contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development and/or execution of an externally funded research project (example: PI, co-PI, Investigator, Researchers, Senior/Key Personnel)

AGENCIES	DEADLINES	DETAILS
DOD: Department of Defense	TBD	Carefully read through the proposal guidelines until official guidance has been released from this agency as per NSPM-33 mandatory training requirements.
DOE: Department of Energy	May 1, 2025	Must be completed within the 12 months immediately preceding the application submission date. DOE guidance indicates that all four modules must be completed. Also applies to any subrecipients. New subs added to the project must complete training within 30 calendar days of the individual joining the project. DOE can expand the scope of the project personnel subject to training via the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration	TBD	Carefully read through the proposal guidelines until official guidance has been released from this agency as per NSPM-33 mandatory training requirements.
NSF: National Science Foundation	October 2025	Senior/key personnel listed on the application for a research and development award are required to take the training. As per the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, senior/key personnel are required to take training within one year of an R & D application. Senior personnel who join will also have one year from the time of joining Implementation of the training requirement aligns with the release of the latest Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
NIH: National Institutes of Health	October 2025	The NIH has partnered with NSF, DOE and the DOD to develop the online research security training modules. The NIH aligns with the NSF regarding requirements.

Federal Resources

Training Frequency

Princeton will follow sponsor guidance regarding the frequency of training. Based on current sponsor guidelines, most sponsors will require annual training.

As additional training resources that meet agency requirements are made available, Princeton will make those resources available to Princeton researchers.