As required by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 the SECURE Center will be providing information, tools, and services to institutions of higher education (IHEs), non-profit research institutions, and small and medium-sized businesses.
The SECURE Center began its work by analyzing several community-based information resources. These included responses to the NSF Dear Colleague Letter that provided feedback, ideas, and proposed recommendations from the research community; a Pilot Co-creation Workshop held at Rice University in the fall of 2024; and a series of interviews and surveys with a wide variety of research organizations and roles within these organizations. This analysis led to the development of a Challenge Backlog and a survey given to Research Security Officers from around the country that prioritized this Backlog into Challenge Areas. Solutions to these challenges are being developed for our Shared Virtual Environment (SVE), planned to go live in the Fall of 2025. In the interim, we will be housing some initial resources on our website here.
SECURE Center Newsletters
As a new organization supporting the U.S. research community, the SECURE Center will regularly share new developments and updates through a Center Newsletter. These newsletters will include National and Regional Center updates, upcoming events and activities, and new product and service launches. You can sign-up to receive the Center Newsletter here or email info@secure-center.org
SECURE Center Research Security Briefings
The SECURE Center provides research security briefings and timely alerts via its listserv. These briefings provide a “one-stop shop” for research security-related information, including new statutory requirements, research funding agency notifications, guidance and requirements, new or updated federal and community research security resources, international research security updates and resources, and significant news items and scholarly works in the research security realm. The Center will also work with higher education associations, legal partners, and government agencies to assess and provide commentary, interpretation, and implementation considerations on new research security requirements, notices and resources.
SECURE Center Consolidated Training Module (CTM) V.1
To assist institutions and Covered Individuals in meeting the CHIPS Act training requirement, NSF, DOE, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Defense (DoD) funded research security training modules which can be found on the NSF website. The modules, developed with the community through cooperative agreements, centered on the following four questions:
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Why is research security an important issue?
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What is a disclosure policy and how will it be used?
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What actions can federally funded research recipients take to manage and mitigate risk?
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Is international collaboration encouraged?
The SECURE Center has condensed the modules into one shorter module (CTM 1.0). The SECURE Center Co-Creation process was used to refine, update and improve existing Research Security Training (RST) modules to better serve and empower the community. CTM 1.0 was designed to meet all of the RST requirements of the CHIPS and Science Act. As per NSF's Important Notice No. 149, "NSF, NIH, DOE, and DOD all recognize completion of the condensed module as compliant with their respective RST requirements."
The CTM 1.0 files can be found below for download and use in your organization’s learning management system. The file includes two editable html-based files that can be modified to supply institution-specific contact information and links to institutional resources.
SCORM Package Downloads & Implementation Instructions
Choose the version that best fits your institution's needs:
Option 1: SCORM Package with Customizable Institution Pages This version includes two customizable slides at the end of the module (before the certificate of completion) where you can add your institution's specific information, resources, and contact details. To customize these pages, you'll need to modify the HTML files within the SCORM package before uploading to your LMS.
Customization Video Tutorial Watch this step-by-step guide to learn how to modify the institution-specific pages in Option 1.
Option 2: SCORM Package without Institution Pages This streamlined version contains the core learning module without additional customizable slides, ready for immediate deployment in your LMS.
General LMS Implementation Steps:
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Download your preferred SCORM package (zip file)
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Log into your Learning Management System as an administrator or instructor
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Navigate to your course content area
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Look for options like "Add Content," "Import Package," or "SCORM Upload"
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Upload the zip file (do not extract it first)
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Configure any tracking or completion settings as needed
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Test the module to ensure proper functionality
Technical Requirements:
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SCORM 1.2 compatible LMS
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Modern web browser with JavaScript enabled
Need Help? Contact your LMS administrator or IT support team if you encounter any issues during the upload process, as implementation steps may vary by platform.
Institutional Resources
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Transcript document - This document provides a written transcript of the module.
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Additional Information document - This document includes the additional information available for access in the module.
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Web preview version - The training module can be previewed here. No certificate of completion will be provided.
CTM 1.0 Storyline File Now Available
In response to stakeholder feedback, the SECURE Center has released the Storyline source file for Condensed Training Module 1.0. This editable file includes all module components (slides, animations, audio, and interactions) and is now accessible for institutions seeking to make minor customizations before uploading to their learning management system. You can download the file directly from our website here.