U.S. Embargoes and Sanction Programs 

Generally, collaborations between university personnel and scholars at foreign institutions or organizations do not require export licenses unless they involve export controlled or restricted research or involve scholars from sanctioned countries.

Before engaging in international collaborations, the University needs to determine if export licenses are required and to verify that the foreign individuals and/or organizations are not blocked or sanctioned by the U.S. government.  

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is responsible for enforcing all U.S. embargoes and sanction programs. Depending on each country's embargo or sanction program, different activities may or may not be prohibited without a specific government authorization or license. 

The OFAC sanction programs fall into three categories: 

• Comprehensive Sanctions. In general, under comprehensive sanctions programs, ALL interactions and activities are prohibited, including exporting to, importing from, financial transactions of any kind, and/or providing services of any kind. While essentially all interactions with comprehensively sanctioned countries are prohibited, there is an exception for informational materials that allows certain transactions to occur. See Informational Materials and Publishing Activities. 
• Limited Sanctions. Under limited sanctions programs only some activities (e.g., importation of items) are prohibited. 
• Regime or List-Based Sanctions. Regime or List-Based sanctions are targeted against specific individuals identified by the Treasury Department and referred to as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) or are targeted against specific groups of people usually associated with a governmental body or regime. 

The table below outlines the countries currently under U.S. sanction along with an indication of the sanction program in place. For additional information on a specific sanction program see OFAC Sanction Program Summaries. 

Informational Materials, Publishing Activities, and Educational Activities 

OFAC has a few general license(s) that specifically allow for activities in support of publishing and/or marketing of informational materials and some educational activities. 

The need for a license is determined on a case-by-case basis. 

Examples when a license may be required: 

1. A U.S. person attending any conference in a sanctioned country. 
2. Provisioning or providing services to a person/entity who is in a sanctioned country. 
3. Substantive enhancement of any information that are not fully created and in existence in the public domain. 
4. Teaching services (including online programs) to people located in a sanctioned country, including, but not limited to, instruction, reviewing any work, and grading the work. 
5. A license may be required if collaboration requires importing data/materials for analysis in the U.S., even if fundamental research and published, when the results will be provided to someone in sanctioned countries (e.g. characterization of material and providing the results to a researcher in a sanctioned country). 

Please reach out for assistance before moving forward. 

Additional International Collaborations Resource 

• International Student and Scholar Services
• International Travel and Export Controls
• International Shipments and Export Controls
• Guidance on Working with Iranian Collaborators

Questions?

Contact the Office of Research and Innovation - Export Control (ORI) at export@drexel.edu for assistance with export control questions before engaging in any international collaborations.