The September 2019 Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) update provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments in regulatory policy, federal agency guidance, and legislative matters affecting research institutions, with emphasis on compliance, research security, administrative burden, and science policy. Highlights include ongoing concerns regarding foreign influence in federally funded research, with updates on university guidance, heightened NIH and NSF disclosure requirements, DOE implementation of foreign talent recruitment prohibitions, and continued ambiguity in Department of Education reporting requirements for foreign gifts. Legislative and regulatory initiatives are addressed, such as requests for GAO review of conflict-of-interest policy implementation, comments on NIST and FAR controlled unclassified information (CUI) requirements, federal prohibition of telecommunications equipment from specified manufacturers, and Congressional patent reform efforts.
The update covers operational challenges and sector advocacy on issues like delays in ClinicalTrials.gov reporting for basic research, changes to fetal tissue research regulations, and administrative load reductions under the 21st Century Cures Act, particularly regarding animal care. It notes developments in research misconduct reporting, the release of COGR’s F&A white paper, and changes to USDA’s NIFA in the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill. Further, it outlines new requirements for researcher identification (ORCID iDs), rises in NIH data-sharing policy mandates, and agency initiatives on science and research environments, including NASA’s proposed sexual harassment policy and OSTP’s J-CORE committee work. Staff changes at APHIS, updates on reporting and compliance supplements, and upcoming meetings for collaborative discussion among stakeholders are also detailed, illustrating a dynamic landscape of oversight in academic research and highlighting COGR’s role in advocacy, guidance, and stakeholder engagement.
