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Open Recommendations

Research Security: Agencies Should Assess Safeguards Against Discrimination
GAO-26-107544
Jan 22, 2026
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7 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of the NSF should ensure that the Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy, or the appropriate office within NSF, document an interim risk mitigation process for its TRUST pilot while continuing to develop a final process. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration The Administrator of NASA should ensure that the appropriate office document how its interim process addresses risk assessment criteria, remediation steps, and due process rights for research institutions or individuals as it continues to develop its final research security process. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, or the appropriate office within DOD, assess the agency's research security processes to determine whether current safeguards provide reasonable assurance that discrimination will not occur and whether any additional safeguards would be practical and beneficial. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should ensure that the Research, Technology, and Economic Security Office, or the appropriate office within DOE, assess the agency's research security processes to determine whether current safeguards provide reasonable assurance that discrimination will not occur and whether any additional safeguards would be practical and beneficial. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration The Administrator of NASA should ensure that the appropriate office assess the agency's research security processes to determine whether current safeguards provide reasonable assurance that discrimination will not occur and whether any additional safeguards would be practical and beneficial. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
National Institutes of Health The Director of NIH should ensure that the Office of Extramural Research, or the appropriate office within NIH, assess the agency's research security processes to determine whether current safeguards provide reasonable assurance that discrimination will not occur and whether any additional safeguards would be practical and beneficial. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Sexual Harassment: Actions Needed to Ensure Consistent Agency Policies for Research Institutions
GAO-25-107750
Sep 30, 2025
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of Science and Technology Policy The Director of OSTP should fulfill its statutory role to encourage and monitor the research agencies' development, implementation, and maintenance of policies consistent with federal guidelines to reduce sexual harassment involving award personnel. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Office of Science and Technology Policy The Director of OSTP should revise federal guidelines to fully address the sharing among agencies of harassment reports about individuals working on federal research awards and indicate that research agencies should be collecting data on initiated sexual harassment investigations involving award personnel and the results of all such investigations. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Advanced Manufacturing: Aligning Strategies and Improving Agency Reviews Could Help Institutes Achieve National Goals
GAO-25-107369
Jun 04, 2025
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the other appropriate DOD organizations track the timeframes for reviewing Manufacturing USA institutes' project funding requests and analyze the information to identify and, as appropriate, implement potential process improvements. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DOD concurred with this recommendation. According to a September 2025 response to this report, the department requested data on review timeframes from its institutes and ManTech office. The department then plans to analyze the data to determine whether there are any outstanding project funding requests and what actions can be taken to prevent delays. Further, it plans to implement recommendations to improve timelines in the second quarter of FY26 and monitor progress during FY26 and FY27. We will update the status of this recommendation as the department provides additional information on these actions.
Department of Energy The Secretary of Energy should ensure that the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy tracks the timeframes for reviewing Manufacturing USA institutes' project funding and membership requests and analyzes the information to identify and, as appropriate, implement potential process improvements. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOE concurred with this recommendation. In a September 2025 response to our report, DOE stated it would develop a process to track the time it takes to process new membership renewals, project and work product reviews, award modifications, and will analyze the data to assess how to process these actions within shorter timeframes without affecting review quality. DOE planned to develop the process to track timeliness by July 2025 and anticipated completing its first assessment of the data to identify potential process changes by December 2025. We will assess and provide an update on this recommendation after DOE provides information on the implementation of these actions.
Congress Congress should consider amending Section 34 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office in Commerce to update the strategic plan for the Manufacturing USA Program on a timeframe that aligns with the timeframe for updating the National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing. (Matter for Consideration 1)
Open
In July 2025, a bill was introduced in the Senate (S. 2318) to align the timeframes for updating the strategic plan for the Manufacturing USA Program and the National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing.

Small Business Innovation Research: Most Agencies Did Not Implement Required Commercialization Pilot
GAO-24-107155
Sep 25, 2024
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Congress If Congress wishes to reauthorize CAPP, it should consider clarifying which agencies are required to implement CAPP because not all SBIR participating agencies offer sequential Phase II awards (Matter for Consideration 1).
Open
No action was taken in the 118th Congress related to this matter and, as of February 2025, no related legislation has been introduced.
Small Business Administration If the CAPP program is reauthorized, the Administrator of SBA should direct the SBIR Program Office to collect and report information from SBIR participating agencies on CAPP—such as implementation status, number of awards, and dollars awarded (Recommendation 1).
Open
SBA has not yet described the agency's plans for addressing this recommendation. We will update status once we receive this information.
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