A Workshop to Develop the Future Direction of the National Science Foundation’s Research on Research Security (RoRS) Program
In May 2024, a team from Rice University, the University of Houston, IPTalons, Inc., and the Society of Research Administrators International hosted a first-of-its-kind global workshop to examine the burgeoning field of research on research security (RoRS). Participants identified current themes, major issues, and challenges in research security, along with charting a road map for the future of the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s RoRS program.
On May 2, invited participants attended a virtual workshop from 1:00 to 3:00 pm CDT.
On May 23–24, invited participants attended an in-person workshop at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Rebecca Keiser, NSF chief of research security strategy and policy, delivered a keynote address on the origins of the RoRS program on May 23 at 8:30 am CDT. Her remarks are available to watch below.
Supported by the NSF’s Office of the Chief of Research Security, Strategy, and Policy, the workshop brought together leading experts from academia, government, and industry to explore the threats and challenges facing the international research and innovation ecosystem.
The workshop was led by Rice University’s Office of Research Security and the Baker Institute Science and Technology Program in close collaboration with the University of Houston, IPTalons, Inc., the Society of Research Administrators International, and the National Science Foundation (Grant No. 2348714).
About the NSF’s Research on Research Security (RoRS) Program
The National Science Foundation launched its RoRS program on July 12, 2023, to support the study of research security as required in the CHIPS and Science Act and following the federal requirements outlined in the National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 and its accompanying implementation guidelines.
Registration
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Featured Speaker
Rebecca Keiser, Ph.D., is head of the Office of International Science & Engineering (OISE) and the chief of research security strategy and policy (CORSSP) at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Keiser has served as head of OISE since coming to NSF in 2015. The office promotes an integrated, international strategy and manages internally focused programs that are innovative, catalytic and responsive to a broad range of NSF and national interests.
Keiser is the first CORSSP, a position established in March 2020 to ensure the security of federally funded research while maintaining open international collaboration. In this role, Keiser provides the NSF director with policy advice on all aspects of research security strategy. She also leads NSF’s efforts to develop and implement efforts to improve research security and the agency’s coordination with other federal agencies and the White House.
Prior to NSF, she was a special advisor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) administrator and an executive-in-residence at American University. She held several positions with NASA, including associate deputy administrator for strategy and policy, associate deputy administrator for policy integration, and executive officer to the deputy administrator.
Keiser also served as assistant to the director for international relations at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she provided policy guidance to the president's science advisor. Her experience covers science and technology policy, agreements, and other cooperative efforts. She has a bachelor's degree in Japanese studies from Wellesley College, a master's degree in politics of the world economy from the London School of Economics, and a doctorate in international studies from the University of South Carolina.
