Responsible Conduct of Research Training

Researchers must note that several federal funding agencies require training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). The specific training requirements are agency-dependent.

National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires that all student researchers funded by NSF receive training in the RCR. This requirement applies to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who are supported by NSF to conduct research. View the relevant regulations.

In order to satisfy this training requirement, which took effect in January 2010, we remind you to have your student researchers take the required training when they begin their NSF-funded research. For this purpose, Oakland University provides on-line RCR training from the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI).  Instructions for signing on to the required RCR modules are as follows:

• After accessing CITI training, either register as a new user or log in as usual, then click on “Submit”
• Click on “Add a course or update your learner groups.”
• Scroll down to Question 4 and select “RCR for NSF & NIH Researchers.”

National Institutes of Health
Similar training is required for personnel funded on NIH grants that have a training component. For these grants, face-to-face educational sessions are required in addition to the on-line RCR modules from CITI. These NIH requirements were updated in November 2009.

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Recipients of USDA funding requires program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in the research to undergo training and oversight in the RCR. Completion of the CITI Program training for RCR will satisfy the training requirement. The USDA requirements in the RCR training became effective February 2013.

Please contact Domenic Luongo if you have questions.