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RCR Grant Requirements
Below you will find training requirements in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) for federal funding agencies as well as grant template language.
In addition to these training requirements, many funders require Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for trainees and recommend the use mentoring compacts. Templates and samples are available on Sharepoint.
Learn more about important RCR topics, like authorship and data management, and find useful resources on our RCR webpage.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
All researchers funded by NSF–including students, faculty and other senior personnel–are required to take responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR) training. Training must include mentor training and mentorship. Penn State meets this requirement through the RCR course in CITI with completion monitored by the Office for Research Protections (ORP); personnel funded by NSF will be notified of this requirement via email and must complete training within 30 days. Graduate students also participate in their unit’s more extensive Scholarship and Research Integrity program (SARI) with in-person programming. Additional opportunities for education in RECR are available through the SARI workshops and the Provost Endorsements in Research.
In addition, all NSF-funded personnel at Penn State are required to take Research Security Training; learn more about Penn State’s Research Security Training.
Read more about NSF’s RECR guidance and requirements.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH requires that all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support on any training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, or dissertation research grant receive instruction in responsible conduct of research. NIH requires a minimum of 8 hours of RCR instruction; NIH’s indicates education should be “undertaken at least once during each career stage, and at a frequency of no less than once every four years.” NIH outlines in their notice the types of instruction that are acceptable and other details such as reporting requirements and application procedures.
The ORP supports the meeting of NIH RCR training requirements with the Scholarship and Research Integrity program (SARI), which is required of all graduate students, postdocs, and new faculty, as well as our SARI workshops and the Provost Endorsements in Research for faculty.
In addition, all NIH-funded personnel at Penn State are required to take Research Security Training; learn more about Penn State’s Research Security Training.
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
All researchers funded by USDAI NIFA–including students, staff, faculty and other senior personnel–are required to take responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR) training. Training must include authorship and plagiarism, data and research integrity, and reporting misconduct. Penn State meets this requirement through the RCR course in CITI with completion monitored by the Office for Research Protections (ORP); personnel funded by NIFA will be notified of this requirement via email and must complete training within 30 days. Graduate students also participate in their unit’s more extensive Scholarship and Research Integrity program (SARI) with in-person programming. Additional opportunities for education in RECR are available through the SARI workshops and the Provost Endorsements in Research.
In addition, all NIFA-funded personnel at Penn State are required to take Research Security Training; learn more about Penn State’s Research Security Training.
Read more about NIFA’s RECR guidance and requirements.
Language for grant submissions
Some funding agencies require a statement certifying that Penn State has a plan for RCR education. Individual agency requirements vary; please use all or part of the sample statements below as necessary. As always, we will be happy to provide assistance or answer any questions. Please contact us at orp@psu.edu.
Penn State’s Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) program is designed to offer Penn State researchers and scholars comprehensive, multilevel training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) in a way that is tailored to address the issues typically faced by individual disciplines. SARI programs address topics such as publication practices and responsible authorship, conflicts of interest, research misconduct, peer review, mentoring, data management, collaborative research, human subjects protections, and animal welfare. In general, SARI addresses these issues through two initiatives: an online RCR training program offered by CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative), and interactive, discussion-based RCR education.
For graduate students, discussion-based education is developed by each individual graduate program, which is reviewed and approved by the Office for Research Protections (ORP) on a regular basis. Tracking of completion requirements in maintained in LionPath.
The SARI workshop series is open to all students, faculty, and staff at the University and offer 10-12 events per semester on a variety of RECR topics delivered by experience faculty and guest speakers. In addition, the ORP hosts two, micro-credentialing programs for faculty: the Provost Endorsement for Mentoring in Research and the Provost Endorsement for Research Integrity and Setting Up Successful Research Environments. The Rock Ethics Institute also hosts relevant events. In addition, the ORP also maintains a robust website with information and resources for RCR education.
The SARI program is directed by the Office for Research Protections, which provides oversight for the program. Additional information is available from the Office for Research Protections upon request.
Office for Research Protections
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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.