Export Control

International partnerships and exchanges are a central and valued pillar of Southern Illinois University's (SIU) core mission in teaching, research, and public service. These collaborations among students, staff, and faculty promote global scholarship, cultural understanding, and enrich our communities.

However, some aspects of the university’s international relationships can expose SIU to risks that could undermine our mission and values. These risks include the theft of intellectual property, sanctions, or loss of funding due to violations of federal or state regulations (including export controls), undisclosed foreign influence, and conflicts of interest.

The Center for International Education (CIE) is dedicated to exploring international opportunities while mitigating potential risks. When potential partnership opportunities are discussed with faculty, our office ensures compliance with federal export control requirements and restricted entity lists by utilizing Visual Compliance. This software searches numerous, continually updated security red-flag and export control lists to screen for restricted or denied parties. We run this report for every potential international partnering institution, faculty, staff, or student from those institutions, international companies, and any international government scholarship or programs being considered. If an individual or entity is restricted, denied, debarred, designated, or blocked, they may be prohibited from entering into new partnerships with SIU or conducting any business with our university.

New regulations regarding these activities are frequently added and expanded upon. Individuals or entities cleared by Visual Compliance have the green light to enter into a partnership with SIU, provided all relevant parties have reviewed and approved the proposal. If these partnerships lead to collaborations such as research—particularly STEM research involving lab equipment with potential dual civilian and military applications—Visual Compliance may be run again under the auspices of SIU’s Vice Chancellor for Research, a separate department from the Center for International Education.