Institutional Plan for Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research Training for NSF Awards

The NSF has instituted a new training requirement in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR)1 for all proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023. This expands the training requirement to include faculty and other senior personnel. The training must include mentor training and mentorship.

The purpose of this plan is to meet the NSF requirement for RECR education. Further, the purpose is to instill the importance of best research practice and ethical research education in the research community of UT.

Scope and Affected Individuals

NSF requires RECR training for all individuals supported by an award, including2:

  • The principal investigator (PI) and other senior personnel
  • Postdocs
  • Graduate and undergraduate students

Exceptions include funding for conferences, symposia, workshops or travel.

Communication Requirements

The Research Integrity (RI) Program will contact PIs and senior personnel to request a training plan after the award has been granted. The PI is responsible for ensuring all other supported research personnel (including postdocs and trainees, who will not be contacted directly by the RI Program) participate in RECR training. A training plan should include a list of all supported personnel on the award, their anticipated training choice (see “Education Requirements,” below), and expected completion date.

Timeline for Training

From the time of the first notice from the RI Program, PIs have 30 days to return a plan. They then have one year from the start date of the award, or until the first-year progress report (whichever comes first) to satisfy the NSF requirements and complete the training as prescribed in their plan.

The Research Integrity program, in collaboration with the Office of Research Support and Compliance and the Office of Sponsored Projects, are responsible for oversight and monitoring of compliance.

Education Requirements

Senior Personnel (PIs, co-PIs, etc.) must choose one of the following:

  1. UT Research Mentoring Workshop (in-person, 5 hours to complete): A workshop for faculty and senior personnel, specifically geared towards meeting the expanded NSF RECR requirement. This workshop utilizes curricula and materials from the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and is led by trained facilitators. Faculty in the College of Natural Sciences are encouraged to participate in a Research Mentoring workshop offered through the CNS Faculty Affairs office, led by CNS faculty or staff who are trained facilitators.
  2. UT RCR Train-the-Trainer Seminar (in-person, 3 hours to complete): A seminar for faculty members who wish to incorporate RCR materials in their course or lab.
  3. CITI online RCR training (3-5 hours to complete, valid for 4 years)

Other Personnel (postdoctoral, other professional, graduate student, undergraduate student, etc.) must choose one:

  1. UT 2-Day RCR Workshop (in-person, 8 hours to complete): A workshop that takes place over the course of two days, each consisting of 4 hours of RCR instruction.
  2. UT ORSC-approved departmental or program specific RCR course (contact research-integrity@austin.utexas.edu to inquire about approval)
  3. CITI online RCR training (3-5 hours to complete, valid for 4 years)

As our program develops, these options may change. To see the most up to date trainings available to meet this requirement, please refer to the training matrix on the RI Program webpage. Additionally, UT Austin’s Research Security team and Export Control office may offer training opportunities related to those required topics. Similar RECR programs offered through professional organizations and other institutions may be used to satisfy these requirements in some instances at the discretion of the UT RI Program, if they are to occur after the NSF award date.

Non-compliance

If a training plan has not been received by the Research Integrity Program after 30 days, or training requirements are not satisfied after 1 year, the ORSC will consider your award to be out of compliance and will notify OSP and relevant departmental staff. Failure to comply with training requirements may result in delay in submission of progress reports, or delay in processing or availability of additional funds.

Plan Review and Revision

The institutional plan will be reviewed on an annual basis, to ensure alignment with NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) updates.

 

1. The NSF has included “ethical” in naming their responsible conduct of research (RCR) training requirements. UT Austin is using the terms RCR and RECR interchangeably.
2. Definitions of Categories of Personnel (NSF)