International Travel

Guidance for Faculty, Staff and Trainees Traveling Internationally with UIC Generated and Owned Data and/or UIC Owned Equipment

The Vice Chancellor for Research, on August 14, 2020, released guidance reminding researchers data generated at or on behalf of UIC is owned by the University of Illinois at Chicago. That guidance highlights the need for a risk-based approach to traveling with UIC-owned data and equipment, highlighted below. Additional resources and specific scenarios can also be found on the Office of Research Data Initiatives and Information (ORDI2) site.

A one page resource guide and 5-minute video are available with recommendations for international travel, although this will be updated soon. Because violations of export controls, including inadvertent failures to comply, may result in severe criminal and civil penalties both for individual faculty, staff, and students, as well as for the University of Illinois at Chicago as an institution, the OVCR and UIC recommends certain actions when traveling internationally with UIC-owned data or equipment.

If you are unsure where to seek pre-approval for and where to report international travel, we have developed an online travel tool to help.

  • Inform your unit (Department, College, Center, or other) of your travel and information technology/computer support group.
  • Confirm that any devices that will travel are backed up.
  • Only copies of data should be transported, domestically or internationally. Original UIC-owned data should be retained on campus or in UIC supported cloud storage.
  • Update software, including installing encryption and utilizing VPN on all hardware that will travel, including laptops, tablets, iPads, and mobile phones.
  • Understand the security required for your data, specifically do you work with human subject identifiable information, export controlled information, data under a confidentiality agreement, data related to intellectual property, etc.
  • Consult the Export Control Compliance Officer for training on Export Controls, including but not limited to the ‘tools of the trade’ exception, time limits, restricted party screening with Visual Compliance, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) administration of and enforcement of U.S. trade and economic sanctions.
  • Register with the Office of Global Engagement Travel Roster and follow the International Travel Safety Policy. Enrolling your UIC business travel will result in free travel insurance covering your travel.
  • Request a letter template from the Office of Research Integrity, to be signed by your Department Head or next level Administrator if you are a Department Head or above. The letter template should be completed by the traveller and placed on UIC letterhead by the Department Head or next level Administrator. Full instructions will be given with the letter template. The letter can be provided to anyone who questions the traveler regarding the UIC-owned data and equipment. The letter is not mandated but is suggested to demonstrated that you are traveling with the knowledge of the University and that data is a copy of the original data that is retained by the University.
  • Practice physical security, including securing devices, while traveling.
  • Do not use public USB chargers or non-secure WiFi.
  • Do not re-use USB devices after inserting into public computers, unless they have been ‘decontaminated’ by a qualified computer security group.
  • Do not access secure or high-risk UIC systems or export controlled projects.
  • Change/update passwords for any systems you accesed to secure your devices and UIC systems.
  • Return any data or software that you have removed from your system for travel.
  • Inform your unit (Department, College, Center, or other) of your travel and information technology/computer support group of your return, as appropriate.
  • Save any new data that you generated while traveling to a UIC system and back up your system once you are confident that there are no issues.

Risk-Based Decision Making on Traveling with UIC-Owned Data and/or Equipment Heading link

By choosing a risk group, a researcher can make informed decisions in regards to traveling with UIC-owned data and/or equipment. The US Department of State Travel Advisories is one way to assess the risk of a given country or specific city or region, but the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) , Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). However, current (2020-2021) pandemic health related travel recommendations are that travel be restricted. UIC currently requires pre-approval for domestic and international travel.

Before you leave While traveling When you return
Follow the basic recommendations described above. Follow the basic recommendations described above. Follow the basic recommendations described above.
Apr 8 2025

RCR Workshop Series for Postdocs and Faculty: Loose Lips Sink Relationships - the Importance of Confidentiality in Peer Review - 04/08/2025

Tuesday, 11:30 am–12:30 pm
B8 PHARM (College of Pharmacy Building - Basement)
May 12 2025

RCR Workshop Series for Postdocs and Faculty: Safe Research Environments - 05/12/2025

Monday, 11:30 am–12:30 pm
1043 ERF (Engineering Research Facility - 1st floor)
Jun 10 2025

RCR Workshop Series for Postdocs and Faculty: TBD - 06/10/2025

Tuesday, 11:30 am–12:30 pm
TBD
Jul 14 2025

RCR Workshop Series for Postdocs and Faculty: TBD - 07/14/2025

Monday, 11:30 am–12:30 pm
TBD
Aug 12 2025

RCR Workshop Series for Postdocs and Faculty: Research Rigor and Reproducibility from Statistical Perspectives‡ - 08/12/2025

Tuesday, 11:30 am–12:30 pm
TBD