Scientific research is a global undertaking and international engagement is of fundamental importance to Berkeley Lab. Our mission is to bring science solutions to the world. Research does not arbitrarily stop at national borders, and affiliations with foreign institutions, collaborative research, and scholarly exchanges are an essential part of the research enterprise. Berkeley Lab is proud to welcome exceptional researchers, staff, and affiliates from countries around the world. We remain committed to continuing and strengthening these relationships.
At the same time, we must recognize and address the U.S. government’s increased focus on foreign involvement in U.S. research. Disclosure of activities and management of international engagements ensures that research activities are transparent, conflicts of interests can be managed, and that the continued flow of scientific and technical information is consistent with the Department of Energy’s broad scientific mission.
This guidance is geared toward the Berkeley Lab community, especially researchers who are engaged in international collaborations and activities. This is a rapidly evolving landscape. We anticipate making regular updates.
Resources
- Berkeley Lab Counterintelligence Office offers training and resources on how to identify indicators of foreign intelligence and insider threats, as well as on CI reporting requirements.
- DOE Office of Science Research Security
- The Director of National Intelligence has released a collection of best practices in research security.
Research Security Training
Note: Link will take you to the UC Learning Management System (LMS). You may need to login with your Lab username and password.
Effective May 1, 2025, employees in science and research roles are required to take this training course. Employees will receive an email notification from LMS. The course will take approximately 30-40 minutes to complete, and it will be reassigned every two years. Employees will be required to certify that they have taken this training prior to submitting a proposal for federal funding. This course fulfills the training requirements of the CHIPS and Science Act and National Security Presidential Memo-33 for covered individuals applying for federal research funding, including funding from DOE.
Topics include:
- An overview of Research Security
- Case studies
- International collaboration
- Disclosure
- Information and data security
- Elicitation
- Talent recruitment programs and Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs
- International travel