Export Controls

---

WKU Policy Statement on Export Controls

It is the policy of the Western Kentucky University (WKU) to comply fully with the U.S. export control laws and regulations. The WKU Office of Research Integrity is charged with oversight of export control matters, questions, or issues brought to their awareness. Export control laws restrict certain types of information, technologies, and commodities that can be transmitted overseas to individuals, including U.S. citizens, or made available to foreign nationals on U.S. soil. It is also the mission and policy of the WKU to conduct services openly and without exclusions on the publication and dissemination of academic and research activities. It is the responsibility of administrators, faculty, staff, students, and collaborators to be aware of and comply with these laws and the WKU's written instructions and procedures.

Western Kentucky University believes that teaching, research, and service shall be conducted openly and without prohibitions or restrictions to the publication and dissemination of the results of academic and research activities. However, several federal laws require WKU to obtain federal authorization before foreign nationals are allowed to participate in research involving specific technologies or before the sharing of research information with persons who are not citizens of the United States or permanent resident aliens.

Western Kentucky University is committed to compliance with U.S. export laws and regulations governing transfer and export of controlled hardware, software, and data. Export control laws are federal regulations that govern how certain information, technologies, and commodities can be transported abroad or communicated to foreign nationals within the United States. Export regulations are very broad and cover all fields of science, engineering, and technology research activities regardless of the funding source. Export control regulations must be followed. Penalties for non-compliance are severe (up to $1,000,000 and imprisonment up to 10 years) and may be imposed against individual researchers as well as their institutions. Consequently, it is vital for everyone at WKU to comprehend their responsibilities under these regulations and to work with the Office of Research / Research Integrity to ensure that WKU is in compliance.

 

Stanford's Export Control Decision Tree

This link is intended simply as a resource to help WKU investigators determine if there might be export control concerns, but it is still the investigator's responsibility to review the rules related to research and obtain appropriate approval from the WKU Compliance Officer. Please report the determination from the decision tree to the WKU compliance officer after completion by a simple cut and paste of the results, but do not submit the results to the Stanford Export Control Officer.