Shipping policy changes coming soon

May 13, 2026

Joe Higgins, Vice President for Campus Services and Stewardship | Ian A. Waitz, Vice President for Research |

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to make you aware of a new shipping policy that will take effect on June 30. This new policy addresses stringent and complex federal shipping regulations. It minimizes risk to those who transport and receive hazardous material shipments and helps avoid the risk of fines and penalties for MIT and its employees. The policy applies to the Cambridge campus, Haystack Observatory, and Bates Research and Engineering Center.

What is changing

Beginning on June 30, 2026:

Anyone, including students, who will be shipping any materials on behalf of MIT must have completed introductory online training prior to initiating a shipment.
Anyone making international or domestic shipments of research materials (see definition), or international shipments of any kind, must use the eShipGlobal system to initiate the shipment (see guidance).

Note that sodium or lithium batteries and battery-operated devices, whether or not related to research, are considered hazardous and should be treated as research materials.

The eShipGlobal system facilitates compliance reviews by MIT’s Environment, Health, and Safety Office (EHS) and/or by the Export Control team in the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Additional training and guidance

As before, special training is required for shipping non-regulated biological materials with dry ice and for shipping biohazardous materials. Special training is also recommended for anyone initiating a shipment of hazardous materials. See Required and Recommended Training for details.

Additional eShipGlobal system support resources:

Instructor-led training on how to use eShipGlobal to ship various types of materials (multiple sessions, May–September).
Video tutorials on how to ship various types of materials (find them under the “Help” menu in eShipGlobal).

We appreciate your cooperation. Please reach out to eship@mit.edu for help with the system or with any questions about this coming change.

Sincerely,

Joe Higgins
Vice President for Campus Services and Stewardship

Ian A. Waitz
Vice President for Research