Research Security & Compliance

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Office of Research endorses the VUMC Compliance Program and its commitment to the highest standards of ethical and legal conduct. Our goal is to accomplish our mission of education, research, patient care, and public service with excellence, integrity and responsibility.

Compliance is vital, and we are committed to the responsible conduct of research and the accurate and complete documentation of research. Vanderbilt has adopted policies and procedures designed to encourage compliance by providing support, training and educational resources to its faculty and staff.

To further its commitment to appropriate conduct, Vanderbilt has policies and procedures to address research compliance, including protection from retaliation for individuals who report any known or suspected violations in good faith. Vanderbilt encourages all faculty and staff to report any noncompliance or violation of law or policy including false claims for payment of government funds. It is the duty of all faculty and staff to report Vanderbilt job-related criminal conduct of which they have actual knowledge or Vanderbilt job-related situations that endanger the health and safety of any individual.

Compliance concerns may be reported:

  • Directly to a supervisor, a department head, chairperson or to the office charged with the responsibility for ensuring compliance with a specific policy;
  • To the Medical Center Compliance Officer at (615) 343-7266;
  • To VUMC’s independent confidential reporting service, Navex EthicsPoint. This service is available for reporting a concern anonymously, 24 hours/7 days a week. Call toll free at 1-866-783-2287, or file a report online at https://www.tnwgrc.com/Vanderbilt/ 

National Security Presidential Memorandum 33

National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM)-33 outlines a federal research security policy intended to protect U.S. government-supported research and development against foreign government interference and exploitation. NSPM-33 and the related funding implementation guidance from the Office of Science and Technology Policy define concrete steps that federal agencies must take to enhance disclosures and improve the research security of federally-funded research. 

Additionally, NSPM-33 will require that institutions receiving more than $50M annually in federal science and engineering support establish and operate a research security program. Research security programs should include, at minimum, the following elements: 

  • Cybersecurity
  • Foreign travel security
  • Research security training
  • Export control training

VUMC is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of research security and integrity and meeting all requirements from federal funding agencies. As specific implementation guidance on NSPM-33 is published, VUMC will continue to work to ensure the best compliance of our aligned research security programs with federal policies and guidelines.

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