At the core of what Stanford University holds most dear - the ability for its faculty and students to engage in research in an open environment - is its Openness in Research policy. Stanford is committed to the principle of freedom of access by all interested parties to the underlying data, to the processes and to the final results of research. In keeping with this commitment, Stanford will not accept research agreements that limit the publication of results or that limit the participation of researchers in the intellectually significant portions of a project on the basis of citizenship.
During the course of such open research, Stanford faculty, staff and students will likely, at one time or another, intersect with federal regulations that impose access, dissemination, or participation restrictions on the transfer of items and information regulated for reasons of national security, trade sanctions policy, anti-terrorism, or non-proliferation. Those regulations are called US export control regulations. Stanford is fully committed to complying with all laws and regulations that pertain to the conduct and dissemination of our research, including export control regulations.
When export controls apply - for example, when we use disclosure-restricted technical information to generate our fundamental research or hand carry items outside the US in our baggage - the export of regulated items, information, or software may require approval from the US Government in the form of an export license. An export license permits "controlled" tangible items or software to be sent outside of the US, or controlled information or software code to be shared with foreign persons, either in the US or abroad.
Most of the information or software that Stanford shares with its colleagues and research partners is not export controlled or subject to trade sanctions. And the majority of tangible items that Stanford exports, like materials, prototypes, components, or equipment, do not require export licenses since they are generally not destined to countries of concern or to individuals or organizations subject to US embargoes or sanctions. However, all Stanford personnel are required by University Export Control Policy to demonstrate their due diligence and to document their adherence to US export controls and trade sanctions laws when such laws apply.
