Invitation
to Participate in OSTP Regional JCORE Webinar – Kelvin
Drogemeier, Director, White House Office of Science
and Technology Policy; September 25, 2020
Dear
VPR and VCR colleagues,
I
hope all is well with you and with your families, and also on your campus as you
begin the fall semester during this especially challenging time.
I am
writing to inform you of a virtual, multi-university regional webinar OSTP is
convening on the important topic of research security that will be hosted by
Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee on September 25, 2020,
from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET. I would be most grateful if your institution could
join this important dialogue and would very much
value the participation of your faculty, post-docs/staff researchers and
administrators (e.g., from sponsored programs, legal counsel, export controls
and research security, international, facilities, responsible conduct of
research training, etc.).
By
way of background, last year OSTP launched a government-wide effort to
strengthen the productivity, inclusivity, integrity, and security of the U.S.
research enterprise. Since then, OSTP has engaged in extensive outreach to
universities and research organizations across the country, sharing how OSTP is
convening all sectors of the R&D enterprise to collectively address the
risks that confront us. We also sought input during these sessions – from
faculty, administrators, and students – regarding possible solutions. We
heard repeatedly that researchers and university staff would benefit from
specific examples of the types of security risks faced by their institution, as
well as guidance on how to address them.
As
a step toward meeting that need, the goal of these upcoming regional webinars
is to update the research community on our progress, share new information about
research security concerns and detailed cases and examples, and discuss the
government’s response. By using a virtual format, we can involve many
more institutions than was possible during our previous in-person visits.
We plan to hold approximately eight of these webinars over the next few weeks.
The
webinar will run for 60 minutes and consist of brief introductions and a
35-40-minute presentation on research security followed by 15-minutes of Q&A
with Vanderbilt and University of Tennessee leadership. For this regional event,
we are inviting additional universities from Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana,
and Arkansas to participate.
We
would be delighted if your institution would participate in this important
discussion. Your role would be only to advertise the event across your campus
and encourage participation, as noted above. OSTP can provide language for
invitations with the link for registration. If
your institution is able to participate, please notify Dr.
Lisa Nichols, OSTP’s Assistant Director for Academic Engagement, who is
copied here, and also feel free to ask any questions you may
have.
Thank
you for playing such a valuable role in our Nation’s research enterprise,
especially during these extraordinary times. I deeply appreciate your
consideration and look forward to the discussion on September 25th.
Best
regards,
Kelvin
______________________________________
Dr.
Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Director
Office
of Science and Technology Policy
The
White House
Washington,
DC 20502
(202)
456-4444
@WHOSTP