CASE STUDY:
Elevating Research Risk Governance in Higher Education
BRIEF:
A large R1 institution in New Jersey lacked visibility into cybersecurity risks associated with research proposals across the full lifecycle, from IRB submission through grant completion. Risks related to data handling, compliance, and federal expectations were not systematically assessed.
ROLE OF MAX2:
Max² was engaged to act as a Virtual CISO, designing a governance framework for research risk and integrating it into the institution’s existing IRB and proposal workflows.
WHAT WAS DELIVERED?
Developed centralized oversight tools and review mechanisms to evaluate risk posture of research proposals, helping researchers and leadership make data-informed decisions about technical safeguards and regulatory compliance.
OUTCOME:
The institution improved alignment with U.S. government requirements (including NIST and CMMC expectations), strengthened research security controls, and mitigated long-term risk exposure tied to sensitive data.
INDUSTRIES: