Responsible Conduct of Research Training Procedures
Sponsor: |
Office of Sponsored Programs |
|---|---|
Contact: |
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs |
Category: |
Research and Sponsored Programs |
Number: |
1100.006 |
Effective Date: |
01/04/2010 |
Implementation History: |
Revised on 04/29/2013 |
Keywords: |
Research ethics, research professional standards, undergraduate research training, graduate student research training, postdoctoral researcher training |
Background Information: |
Purpose
These procedures are developed to meet the requirement of both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health that applicant institutions certify that they have in place a program for the training of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the responsible conduct of research. This requirement was promulgated to meet the mandate of the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science (COMPETES) Act (42 U.S.C. 1862o-1).
Definitions
CITI: Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative, University of Miami.
Statements
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is a widely accepted set of ethical and professional standards for conducting research. SUNY Empire State College is committed to maintaining the integrity of its research activities through the responsible and ethical conduct of its faculty, staff and students. To this end, the college has developed an institutional plan so that all students and postdoctoral researchers as well as faculty supported by federal research funding can benefit from such training.
Where a research project is federally funded, regardless of the sponsor:
- All undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers involved with federally funded research projects must complete and pass the CITI RCR training course. The course must be completed and passed before any student or postdoctoral researcher can participate on the project. Postdoctoral researchers should take a renewal course every three years.
- In order for them to serve appropriately as mentors, all principal and co-principal investigators with undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers on their federally funded research projects must complete and pass the CITI RCR course prior to the hiring of the students and postdoctoral researchers. A renewal course should be taken every three years.
- A course in Research Methods is either recommended or required. For undergraduate students, an undergraduate research methods course, available through the Center for Distance Learning, is highly recommended. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are required to complete a graduate-level course in research methods. Postdoctoral researchers who previously completed such a course must provide evidence of such.
- Principal and Co-principal Investigators will provide mentorship on the responsible conduct of research to graduate and undergraduate students as well as postdoctoral researchers throughout the conduct of the research project.
The Office of Sponsored Programs will maintain a database of all students and postdoctoral researchers working on federal funded research projects. Notification of passage of the CITI course will be received by the office and recorded in the database. No student or postdoctoral will be allowed to work on the project until notification of CITI course passage is received. Completion of a research methods course will also be recorded in the database.
Principal and Co-investigators with oversight over students and postdoctoral researchers on their federally funded research project will be included in the database. CITI basic RCR and renewal courses passage will be recorded.
Applicable Legislation and Regulations
Regulations: National Science Foundation – Responsible Conduct of Research
National Institutes of Health – Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research