Classified Research

University of Chicago Policy on Performing Classified Research

POLICY: No classified work may be undertaken in the name of the University of Chicago or using University facilities or resources.

POLICY: The University’s policy on performing classified work. [“Classified” work being defined as that work conducted under the specific designation as Classified by the Federal funding sponsor or other governmental agency] derives from two sources:

1. Board of Trustees Statute, 18.1, which says “The basic policies of The University of Chicago include complete freedom of research and unrestricted dissemination of information.” This is obviously incompatible with classified research.

2. The report of the “Committee on Federal Grants and Contracts at The University of Chicago” dated June 1969. A summary of the report was printed in the University of Chicago Record, and included recommendations, one of which was:

“The Committee recommends that The University of Chicago:...6. Accept no grants or contracts which impose conditions of secrecy or of prohibition of publication of results or which are classified as “secret: or “Confidential” or otherwise restricted as to openness, or which provide for consultative services involving restricted or classified information, issues, or operations, or which are otherwise inconsistent with free inquiry.”

INDIVIDUAL SECURITY CLEARANCES: It should be noted that as individuals University researchers may hold classified security clearances and may act as independent consultants to the government in areas involving classified information.

CLASSIFIED WORK AT ANL: A limited amount of classified activity is carried out at Argonne National Laboratory under the security policies and practices defined by the U.S. Department of Energy for classified work. With the appropriate clearances from DOE, faculty of the University of Chicago may participate in classified activity on site at ANL.

February 2002