AAU President Barbara R. Snyder joined the leaders of AAMC, ACE, APLU, and COGR in sending a letter to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Eric Lander with comments on the planned implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33. The letter was sent following the publication of a blog post by Lander on the principles that would guide OSTP’s implementation of NSPM-33 and an August community forum where he requested feedback and comments.
In the letter, AAU expressed support for the principles laid out by Lander in his blog post and communicated concerns about specific issues that could affect institutions and researchers. The letter emphasized that universities take research security seriously and have already taken several steps “to promote principles of full disclosure and a culture of transparency.” The letter urged Lander to ensure that new research security efforts take account of, and build upon, existing community policies before “implementing additional and more burdensome requirements.” AAU expressed willingness to work with OSTP to develop a digital, modular, uniform CV to assist with ensuring proper disclosure of faculty foreign funding sources. The letter also raised specific issues that concern the scientific community, such as the imposition of restrictions or special monitoring of certain individuals based on research fields or national affiliations. The letter emphasized that “any new requirements should not impede or discourage international students and scholars from attending or partnering with U.S. institutions of higher education.”