The document presents a summary of the COGR’s Research Security Costing Model Survey, which aimed to assess the financial and operational impacts of federal research security requirements in higher education institutions. The survey involved 25 institutions, predominantly universities with academic medical centers, encompassing a broad research portfolio including fundamental, export controlled, and classified research. The methodology included analyzing survey responses and extrapolating costs to a wider group of the top 220 federal research recipients, covering over 95% of all federal R&D funding.
Results indicate that compliance with new research security and disclosure mandates imposes significant costs in several areas: hiring additional employees, reallocating existing staff duties, IT system upgrades, training, and associated legal/administrative services. The average projected cost per institution can exceed $250,000 annually when combining new hires, opportunity costs, and infrastructure investments, with further on-going expenses anticipated. Respondents also voiced concerns about intangible impacts, such as increased faculty burden, potential deterrence from international collaboration, and effects on morale. Major themes include varying readiness levels for security program implementation, with most institutions awaiting federal guidance or in early stages of training and IT upgrades. The survey raises questions about the appropriate metrics for determining return on investment, the equity of cost distribution—especially for less-resourced institutions—and the broader implications for research competitiveness and transparency. Ongoing analysis and further survey phases are planned as federal guidelines evolve.
