Export Control Menu
ORP Menu
Restricted Party Screening
The U.S. government strictly prohibits U.S. persons and institutions from conducting business with, or transferring technology to, individuals and organizations listed on federal “restricted party” lists (often referred to as Specially Designated Nationals or SDNs).
Because these lists are maintained by multiple federal agencies, including the Departments of Commerce, State, Treasury, and Homeland Security, manually checking them can be difficult.
How Penn State Screens for Restricted Parties
To ensure compliance, the University utilizes Visual Compliance (by eCustoms), a specialized software tool that screens individuals and entities against all federally maintained restricted party databases simultaneously. The system also runs nightly auto-updates to catch any changes to federal lists.
How to Request a Screening: If you need to screen a potential international collaborator, visiting scholar, or foreign entity, please contact the Office of Export Compliance (OEC) directly at export@psu.edu. Our team will run the consolidated screening for you.
Need Direct Software Access? (High-Volume Units): For colleges, campuses, or departments that anticipate a high volume of daily or weekly screening requests, the University Export Compliance Officer may authorize direct access to the Visual Compliance software for your team.
- To request a localized license and training: Please email the OEC at export@psu.edu with a brief description of your unit’s screening volume and operational needs.
Federal Guidance & Resources
For more detailed information regarding the legal obligations of restricted party screening, please review the following federal resources:
Office for Research Protections
Address
200 Innovation Blvd.
Suite 110
University Park, PA 16802
The Office for Research Protections (ORP) ensures that research at the University is conducted in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines that protect human participants, animals, students, and personnel involved with research.