Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Effective January 4, 2010, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will require education in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) for all undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs funded by its grants (see Section 7009 of the 2007 America COMPETES Act [42 U.S.C. 1862o-1); Federal Register of 08/20/2009). Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act requires that “each institution that applies for financial assistance from the Foundation for science and engineering research or education describe in its grant proposal a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in the proposed research project.”

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Implementation Plan [74 FR 42126-42128 (August 20, 2009)] states that: “Effective January 4, 2010, NSF will require that, at the time of proposal submission to NSF, a proposing institution’s Authorized Organizational Representative certify that the institution has a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who will be supported by NSF to conduct research. While training plans are not required to be included in proposals submitted to NSF, institutions are advised that they are subject to review upon request. NSF will formally implement the new RCR requirement via an update to the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). It is anticipated that the revisions to the PAPPG will be issued on October 1, 2009. NSF also will modify its standard award conditions to clearly stipulate that institutions are responsible for verifying that undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers supported by NSF to conduct research have received RCR training.”

In order to meet the NSF guidelines, North Carolina State University offers the following options to meet the requirements for the Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) training. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars may satisfy the RCR requirement by successfully completing and passing the assignments associated with one of the following options:

Successfully completing the online short course, RCR 101: Foundations in the Responsible Conduct of Research. To enroll, contact rcr-administrator@ncsu.edu

USDA and NIFA requires RCR training for awards subject to the February 2013 Agency-Specific Research Terms and Conditions.

The USDA-NIFA training requirement mandates that all participants, including program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in the research project receive appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research and that documentation of such training will be maintained.

The NIH requires that all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, and dissertation research grant must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research. This policy will take effect with all new and renewal applications submitted on or after January 25, 2010, and for all continuation (Type 5) applications with deadlines on or after January 1, 2011. This Notice applies to the following programs: D43, D71, F05, F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F37, F38, K01, K02, K05, K07, K08, K12, K18, K22, K23, K24, K25, K26, K30, K99/R00, KL1, KL2, R25, R36, T15, T32, T34, T35, T36, T37, T90/R90, TL1, TU2, and U2R. This policy also applies to any other NIH-funded programs supporting research training, career development, or research education that require instruction in responsible conduct of research as stated in the relevant funding opportunity announcements. More information regarding NIH’s requirements for instruction in the responsible conduct of research can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-10-019.html. Those submitting NIH grant applications may refer to the above resources (i.e., RCR 101 online course and/or face-to-face courses) as part of their plan for instruction in the responsible conduct of research.