Research & Regulatory Affairs
Conducting Research at UD
Our team oversees and advances UD’s strong culture of compliance with federal, state and University policies and regulations across the spectrum of the University’s research-related activities. We are responsible for the review, negotiation and establishment of research agreements, and the administrative transfer of research materials to and from UD. Whether you’re a first-timer or a veteran at developing research proposals, you will find the tools you need here to prepare your proposal, manage your grant, protect your great ideas and inventions, and present your results to the scientific community and the public.

Sean Hayes
Interim Associate Vice President, Research and Regulatory Affairs
Research Integrity
Ensuring responsible conduct of research and upholding the highest ethical standards.
Safety
The UD Office for Environmental Health and Safety distributes information made to ensure safe research practices are followed
Research Security
UD Best Practices and Resources.
Intellectual Property
Counsel on the disclosure of innovations, patents, copyrights, trademarks and other research-related agreements.
Export Regulations
Oversight & administration of regulations regarding UD research and its impact on economic and trade sanctions.
Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs
Federal regulations for research compliance regarding malign foreign talent recruitment programs (MFTRP)
Human Subjects
Research involving human subjects, bio specimens and/or tissue samples, and/or private identifiable data
Animal Subjects
Federal regulations require use of non-human vertebrate animals in research, teaching and testing follow established guidelines.
Recombinant DNA in Research
Work involving recombinant DNA must be approved by the UD Biosafety Committee and the Biosafety Officer
- Animal Subjects
- Bayh-Dole Act
- Biological Safety
- Chemical Hygiene Program
- Data Transfer and Use Agreement
- Environmental Health and Safety
- Export Controls and Trade Sanctions Memo
- Export Regulations
- Faculty Handbook
- Forms
- Human Subjects
- Mentoring Statement for Postdocs
- Misconduct in Research
- Principles of Responsible Conduct
- Policies
- Procedures
- Radiation Safety
- Ratner Prestia
- Recombinant DNA
- Research Security
- Researcher Roles and Responsibilities
- UD Cost Accounting Standards Guidelines
Compliance Hotline:
Reporting a Concern
UD is committed to high ethical standards and enforcing its policies, procedures and all applicable legal requirements.
The UD Compliance Hotline, serviced by EthicsPoint, provides an anonymous, confidential and independent resource for reporting suspected misconduct and other issues of concern in the workplace.
- Integrity
- Code of Conduct
- Responsible Conduct
- Misconduct
- Conflict of Interest
- Ethics
Integrity
Research Integrity at UD
The University of Delaware is committed to promoting and protecting the responsible pursuit of scientific research. UD faculty and students are obligated to practice intellectual honesty and to observe established professional standards in their fields at all times, from the formulation of proposals, to their interactions with research associates and students, to the collection, handling and evaluation of data, to the peer review process, and the protection and presentation of results.
All members of the UD research community are expected to follow the highest ethical standards and are encouraged to report any concerns they may have by contacting the Interim Associate Vice President for Research & Regulatory Affairs in the UD Research Office directly, or the Compliance Hotline.
UD policy and Federal requirements (Pilot Program) prohibit retaliation against an individual making a misconduct allegation in good faith.
UD Research Compliance & Ethics Program
The University of Delaware (UD or University), its faculty, staff and students are committed to conducting their research and scholarly endeavors with the highest ethical standards. Consistent with federal government guidelines and requirements, and with widely-recognized best practices to achieve the responsible conduct of research, the University has developed, conducts and maintains current an effective Research Compliance & Ethics Program (RCEP). In doing so, UD exercises due diligence to prevent, detect and correct any research-related conduct that is not consistent with government and best-practice collective tenets. Additionally, the University creates and promotes, in an ongoing fashion, an institution-wide culture that encourages behavior/conduct that is ethical, complaint and in accord with applicable research-related requirements, guidelines and best practices.

Responsibilities of a Principal Investigator
Serving as a Principal Investigator (PI) at the University of Delaware brings significant rewards & confers concomitant responsibilities. PIs are responsible for the intellectual direction of research and scholarship and for the education and training of students. In carrying out these critical tasks, PIs are also responsible for compliance with laws and regulations that touch on all aspects of the research enterprise.
To ensure compliance with applicable rules, regulations, and contract requirements the University of Delaware requires all PIs to receive training in the financial management of sponsored projects. Developed for PIs already at the University, the University's training program focuses on stewardship of funds, mandatory reporting requirements and particularized training in the fundamentals of federal grant and contract accounting. PIs must complete mandatory training before the University will release project funding.
Code of Conduct
Responsible Conduct
Misconduct
Conflict of Interest
Ethics
- Overview
- Patents
- Copyright
- Trademarks
- Trade Secrets
- Tangible Materials
- Data
Overview
Patents
Patents
A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Generally, the term of a new patent is 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, in special cases, from the date an earlier related application was filed, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. U.S. patent grants are effective only within the United States, U.S. territories, and U.S. possessions. Under certain circumstances, patent term extensions or adjustments may be available.
The right conferred by the patent grant is, in the language of the statute and of the grant itself, “the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling” the invention in the United States or “importing” the invention into the United States. What is granted is not the right to make, use, offer for sale, sell, or import, but the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, selling, or importing the invention. Once a patent is issued, the patentee must enforce the patent without the aid of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Intellectual Property
Quick Reference
View the PDFPatent Timeline
Throughout the world the first party responsible for filing a patent application is the undisputed owner of the invention. The United States has a one-year time period to file a patent application. This period begins at the formal presentation of the invention. A formal presentation of an invention includes any publication, journal, conference presentation, poster session, newspaper article, Internet publication on a Web page, blog, listserve, etc. In most other countries, you are banned from obtaining patent protection once an invention has been publicly disclosed.
You must file in the United States within one year of the first disclosure of the invention — filing of a provisional application may protect international rights.
It takes an extended period of time to obtain a patent. The patent application can be kept secret while it is pending if you request it; otherwise, it is published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 18 months after filing.
See Policy 6–6 — “Intellectual Property Protection, Ownership, and Commercialization” for detailed information on patent procurement costs and the division of patent income.
Copyright
Trademarks
Trade Secrets
Tangible Materials
Data
- Federal Regulations
- Sponsor Policies
- MFTRP Definitions
- Policy
Federal Regulations
Federal regulations for research compliance regarding malign foreign talent recruitment programs:
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-167, 42 U.S.C. § 19232) sets forth the following malign foreign talent recruitment program (MFTRP) restrictions and requirements for federal research and development projects:
- Individuals participating in a MFTRP are prohibited from serving in a senior/key personnel role.
- Federal agencies are prohibited from funding a proposal which includes a senior/key person who is a party to a MFTRP.
- Recipient institutions must prohibit MFTRP participants from serving as senior/key personnel.
- Certifications:
- In each research proposal and annually thereafter, each senior/key person must certify they are not a party to a MFTRP.
- Proposing institutions must certify that all individuals identified as senior/key personnel have been made aware of and have complied with their responsibility to certify that they are not a party to a MFTRP.
- False representations regarding either of the above certifications may be subject to prosecution and penalties pursuant to, but not limited to, the False Claims Act.
- As a requirement of a federal award, recipient institutions must provide training on the risks of malign foreign talent recruitment programs to senior/key personnel employed at such institutions.
Federal sponsors are establishing and implementing MFTRP policies which flow down these requirements to UD.
Sponsor Policies
MFTRP Definitions
Policy
ASSISTANCE
Compliance Hotline
Phone: (302) 831-2792
E: UD IRB Office
P: (302) 831-2137
F: (302) 831-2828
GOVERNMENT SPONSOR LINKS
- State of Delaware
- US Government
- Dept of Education Grant Opportunities
- Dept of Agriculture
- Dept of Health and Human Services (HRSA) Open Opportunitiess
- Dept of Commerce
- Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Funding
- Dept of Defense
- Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA) Funding
- Dept of Energy
- Dept of Homeland Security
- Dept of Justice
- Dept of Labor
- Dept of State
- Dept of the Interior
- Dept of Transportation
- Dept of Treasury
- Delaware EPSCoR Funding Opportunities
- Federal Govt Grants (Grants.Gov) Grants
- NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) Research Opportunities
- National Archives Grant Program
- National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Funding Opportunities
- National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Grants
- National Endowment of Arts Grants
- National Institute of Health (NIH) Grants and Funding
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Funding Opportunities
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Funding Opportunities
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding
- NSF Office of Integrative Activities (OIA) Funding Opportunities