---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 19031"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "19031"
heading: "Office of Research Security and Policy"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/19031"
units:
  - "Chapter 163 — Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation"
  - "Subchapter III — National Science Foundation for the Future"
  - "Part D — NSF Research Security"
---

# §19031. Office of Research Security and Policy


The [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) shall maintain a Research Security and Policy office within the Office of the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) with not fewer than four full-time equivalent positions, in addition to the Chief of Research Security established pursuant to [section 19032 of this title](/usc/42/19032.md). The functions of the Research Security and Policy office shall be to coordinate all research security policy issues across the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11), including by—

- (1) consulting and coordinating with the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) Office of Inspector General, with other [Federal research agencies](/usc/42/18901.md?p=10), and intelligence and law enforcement [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), and the National Science and Technology Council, as appropriate, in accordance with the authority provided under section 1746 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92; [42 U.S.C. 6601](/usc/42/6601.md) note), to identify and address potential security risks that threaten research integrity and other risks to the research enterprise and to develop research security policy and best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19), taking into account the policy guidelines to be issued by the [Director](/usc/42/18921.md?p=1) of the Office of Science and Technology Policy under [section 19231 of this title](/usc/42/19231.md);
- (2) serving as a resource at the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) for all issues related to the security and integrity of the conduct of [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11)-supported research;
- (3) conducting outreach and education activities for [recipients](/usc/42/18901.md?p=24) on research policies and potential security risks and on policies and activities to protect intellectual property and information about critical technologies relevant to national security, consistent with the controls relevant to the [grant](/usc/42/19291.md?p=5) or award;
- (4) educating [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) program managers and other directorate staff on evaluating [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) awards and [recipients](/usc/42/18901.md?p=24) for potential security risks;
- (5) communicating reporting and disclosure requirements to [recipients](/usc/42/18901.md?p=24) and applicants for funding;
- (6) performing risk assessments, in consultation, as appropriate, with other Federal [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), of [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) proposals and awards using analytical tools to assess nondisclosures of required information;
- (7) establishing policies and procedures for identifying, communicating, and addressing security risks that threaten the integrity of [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11)-supported research and development, working in consultation, as appropriate, with other Federal [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), to ensure compliance with National Security Presidential Memorandum–33 (relating to strengthening protections of United States Government-supported research and development against foreign government interference and exploitation) or a successor policy document; and
- (8) in accordance with relevant policies of the [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), conducting or facilitating due diligence with regard to applications for [research and development awards](/usc/42/18901.md?p=25) from the [Foundation](/usc/42/18901.md?p=11) prior to making such awards.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10331, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1551.)