The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released implementation guidance for National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33), a document outlining federal actions to strengthen research security, on Jan. 4 [refer to Washington Highlights, Jan. 22, 2021]. The AAMC previously sent a joint letter to the OSTP containing recommendations for NSPM-33 implementation [refer to Washington Highlights, Oct. 15, 2021].
The document is intended to provide guidance to federal agencies on implementing five key areas discussed by NSPM-33:
- Disclosure requirements and standardization.
- Digital persistent identifiers.
- Consequences for violation of disclosure requirements.
- Information sharing.
- Research security programs.
In a post accompanying the guidance, OSTP Director Eric Lander, PhD, emphasized that any new policies should preserve openness and international collaboration in scientific research.
Each federal agency will have to determine how and when to implement any policy changes as a result of the guidance. Importantly, the recommendations are not requirements and the guidance itself does not create any new policies that are immediately in effect for grantee institutions or researchers.