Aug
24
NSF SECURE Update
It’s been about a year since the NSF SECURE Center first connected with the AIRI community. As a quick refresher: SECURE was established under the CHIPS and Science Act to safeguard the U.S. research ecosystem, equipping higher education institutions, nonprofit research institutes, and small and medium-sized businesses with practical, human-centered research security tools. Since then, AIRI members have been active participants in a range of Center activities, and several AIRI-affiliated professionals now serve as vital members of our NPRI Advisory Committee, helping shape the tools, training, and guidance we develop for nonprofit research institutes. SECURE will host two sessions at the annual meeting: a SECURE Center Overview & Tools session and an International Collaborations & Partnerships discussion, alongside a hands-on Sunday workshop, “Research Security in a Box”, designed especially for smaller, resource-limited institutions but applicable to all. To learn more or get further involved in Center activities and products, scan the QR code.

  • On August 7, the Senate passed its version of a continuing resolution to fund the government until December 11, 2026, before heading to recess. The bill is largely clean with minimal programmatic and funding level changes but includes language that would delay the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) implementation of its proposed rulemaking on federal grant-making through the end of the CR. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has previously expressed concerns on the proposed Rule and has publicly called for a delay and for numerous sections of the Rule to be withdrawn. Upon Congress’ return in September, both chambers will need to conference their CR bills including the blocking language, which the House did not include in its version, as well as continue their work on fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations.

  • On July 29, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a government-wide policy to end dangerous high-risk life science research. The new policy establishes a framework to oversee life-sciences research, including broad prohibitions on federal funding for “dangerous gain of function (DGOF)” research and “international research of concern (IROC).” The policy establishes new oversight requirements for federal funding recipients and agencies, including establishing mechanisms for review of all federally funded life sciences, attestations by investigators and institutions, and the creation of a new federal review body for research that could potentially meet the definition of DGOF research (through unanticipated research results). 

    The policy differentiates between “dangerous gain of function (DGOF)” research which is prohibited and “potential DGOF research” which is potentially permissible upon additional review, but there is little clarity in how to determine whether the latter applies. This ambiguity may be addressed in upcoming implementation guidance promulgated by the research agencies. Federal agencies have 120 days to provide further implementation guidance. A more in-depth analysis of the policy can be viewed here.