  In order to operate in a regulated world, researchers need to ensure
compliance with ever-evolving landscape of information security regulations and
best practices. This work explains the concept of Controlled Unclassified
Information (CUI) and the challenges it brings to the research institutions.
Survey from the user perceptions showed that most researchers and IT
administrators lack a good understanding of CUI and how it is related to other
regulations, such as HIPAA, ITAR, GLBA, and FERPA. A managed research ecosystem
is introduced in this work. The workflow of this efficient and cost effective
framework is elaborated to demonstrate how controlled research data are
processed to be compliant with one of the highest level of cybersecurity in a
campus environment. Issues beyond the framework itself is also discussed. The
framework serves as a reference model for other institutions to support CUI
research. The awareness and training program developed from this work will be
shared with other institutions to build a bigger CUI ecosystem.
