Building Capacity to Manage RISC

Building Capacity to Manage RISC: Investing in Research Integrity, Security, and Compliance at UMBC through Practices, Processes, and Partnerships

UMBC leads new program to build research security compliance support for mid-sized universities: Read this UMBC News story about our RISC program!

Supported by the Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) program of the National Science Foundation, this project develops a sustainable model for building and supporting the capacity of mid-sized and smaller research universities to implement new and emerging Federal research security policies. Research integrity, security, and compliance are critical components of the research enterprise. These areas are also highly complex and rapidly evolving, in response to dynamic world events that drive Federal policies, guidelines, and other regulatory requirements.

Mid-sized and smaller institutions are expected to keep pace as new policies and guidance emerge, but they often do not have the same ability as larger, more highly resourced institutions to immediately respond to new regulations by adapting or building needed systems and processes. This project will help mid-sized and smaller research universities build capacity in these key areas, helping ensure equitable access to and implementation of research guidance for all types of U.S. research institutions.

The project will create, test, and implement a significant blueprint for how mid-sized and smaller research universities can adhere to new and emerging research security policies. In Phase One, a Research Integrity, Security, and Compliance (RISC) program model will be developed and evaluated in a partnership among UMBC, Delaware State University, Morgan State University, and University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.

In Phase Two, the program model and materials will be translated into a RISC Roadmap: a publicly accessible information pipeline and compendium of adaptable resources, including online learning modules and trainings, which will be shared on a regional and national scale. The RISC Roadmap will help other institutions overcome the barrier of creating such programs from scratch and assist them in responding to research integrity, security, and compliance guidance and meeting institutional needs.