The Arizona Board of Regents must require each state university to adopt and post online a research security policy that, among other things, addresses threats from foreign adversary nations, and must report each year by October 1 on those policies and on foreign grants, gifts or donations over $250,000.
Official title: ABOR; research security policy
- September 12, 2026
What changes
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NowThe Board of Regents must require each university to establish, adopt and post on its website a research security policy that safeguards its research, promotes a security culture, furthers national security interests and mitigates potential threats from any foreign adversary nation (as defined in another state law).
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NowEach policy must comply with applicable legal, regulatory and contractual standards for protecting the university's research, and promote compliance with federal rules to keep federal funding eligibility, including rules on standardized disclosures, cybersecurity, foreign travel security, insider threats and export controls.
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NowEach policy must set up processes to regularly update it, to ensure compliance and reporting, and to identify and address compliance concerns, including any training the university will provide.
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NowBy October 1 each year, the Board of Regents must report to the governor, senate president and house speaker, with a copy to the secretary of state, on each university's policy and related practices, how each university complies with state and federal laws to protect research, national security and intellectual property and to defend against foreign adversary nations.
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NowThe yearly report must include the total number of grants, gifts or donations over $250,000 each university received from a foreign country in the preceding year.
Who it affects
- University researchers, faculty and staff
- Arizona state universities
- Arizona Board of Regents
What you need to do
Nothing.
What the law doesn't answer
- A deadline for universities to first adopt and post their research security policies
- Any penalty if a university does not adopt a policy or the board does not report
- Which countries count as foreign adversary nations (the text points to another state law)
- Whether the yearly report will be made public beyond the officials named
- What specific training universities will provide
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.