The letter, jointly authored by major associations representing higher education and research institutions—including the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), the American Council on Education (ACE), and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)—addresses the Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) regarding two documents released at the end of the prior presidential administration: the National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) and the “Recommended Practices for Strengthening the Security and Integrity of America’s Science and Technology Research Enterprise.” The authors urge OSTP to consult with the academic research community, ideally through a public comment process, before implementing the measures outlined in these documents. They emphasize the need for clarification and consistent guidance on disclosure expectations, as well as a risk-based, balanced approach that preserves the benefits of international collaboration while addressing security concerns.
While the academic organizations affirm their commitment to safeguarding research integrity and have previously supported legislative actions strengthening disclosure requirements, they express concerns regarding unclear language, inconsistent definitions, and the scope of certain mandates in the documents. They point out the lack of stakeholder engagement due to the timing of the documents’ release at the transition between administrations. The letter requests a delay in agency implementation of these measures until sufficient review and input from educational institutions can be gathered, ensuring consistency with recent legislation. The organizations look forward to actively participating in the policy development process to ensure that future directives support both research security and continued innovation through international cooperation.
