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Responsible Conduct of Research

The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires responsible conduct of research (RCR) training for all undergraduates, graduates, and post-doctoral fellows who conduct research supported by NSF funds. Similarly, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires that all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, or dissertation research grant must receive RCR training, including professional and scientific employees receiving funding from these sources.  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.  The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) also requires education in RCR for program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and any staff participating in research projects supported by an NIFA award. For faculty, RCR training is required for NIFA grants, and otherwise on a case-by-case basis, when the award stipulates that RCR training is a requirement. There are two options for satisfying the training requirement, which must be completed during the course of the individual’s involvement in the federally funded project.

OPTION 1 – Responsible Conduct of Research Training Workshops

Responsible Conduct of Research training is required by NSF, NIH and NIFA. Spring 2022 RCR Training will be hosted throughout the month of February and will be presented live via WebEx. Each attendee will need to attend at least 8 hours of unique presentation material.  All sessions are 1 hour long including both presentation and discussion if attendees have any questions about the presentations.  Presenters will be presenting at various different times throughout the month to accommodate class schedules (i.e., unique presentations will not both be on a Tuesday at 10 a.m. to minimize conflict with classes). At least 8 hours of RCR training must be completed to meet the requirements and will eliminate the need to complete the online CITI RCR modules.

If you plan on taking RCR training, please sign up for 8 unique sessions (i.e., do not register for same "session name" twice).  When using the sign-up link, please use the Register link on the associated page.  You should receive an "Approval" email after signing up.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding sign-up for the presentations, please contact nicholas.lacafta@uconn.edu.

Presentation Dates and Times:

Please note: Sessions start promptly. Latecomers risk not receiving credit.

Day Time Session Name Presenter Sign-Up Link
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 11:00 AM Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research-An Introduction Karen More, Director of Research Compliance Week 1, Session 1
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 1:00 PM Best Practices in Data Management for Responsible Research Jennifer Chaput, STEM Librarian, UConn Library

Renee Walsh, STEM Librarian, UConn Library

Week 1, Session 2
Thursday, February 2, 2023 10:00 AM Plagiarism & Proper Citation Jason Nicosia, Instructional Design Specialist, UConn Library Week 1, Session 3
Thursday, February 2, 2023 1:00 PM Biosafety: Regulatory Compliance David Cavallaro, Biological Safety Manager Week 1, Session 4
Friday, February 3, 2023 11:00 AM Ethics in the Use of Animal Subjects in Research Mark Johnson, IACUC Specialist Week 1, Session 5
Monday, February 6, 2023 11:00 AM Export Control Compliance Bieu Tran, Export Control Officer Week 2, Session 1
Monday, February 6, 2023 1:00 PM Research Data Security Dr. Chris Bernard, Chief Information Systems Security Officer Week 2, Session 2
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 1:00 PM Ethics in the Use of Human Subjects in Research Joan Levine, Education & QA/QI Specialist Week 2, Session 3
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 10:00 AM Conflicts of Interest in Research Dr. Gustavo Fernandez-Wolff, Research Compliance Monitor Week 2, Session 4
Thursday, February 9, 2023 10:00 AM Export Control Compliance Bieu Tran, Export Control Officer Week 2, Session 5
Tuesday, February 14, 2023 10:00 AM Biosafety: Regulatory Compliance David Cavallaro, Biological Safety Manager Week 3, Session 1
Tuesday, February 14, 2023 1:00 PM Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research-An Introduction Karen More, Director of Research Compliance Week 3, Session 2
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:00 PM Best Practices in Data Management for Responsible Research Jennifer Chaput, STEM Librarian, UConn Library

Renee Walsh, STEM Librarian, UConn Library

Week 3, Session 3
Thursday, February 16, 2023 11:00 AM Ethics in the Use of Human Subjects in Research Joan Levine, Education & QA/QI Specialist Week 3, Session 4
Thursday, February 16, 2023 12:00 PM Managing Mentoring and Peer Relationships Dr. Jim Wohl, University Ombudsman Week 3, Session 5
Thursday, February 16, 2023 2:00 PM Plagiarism & Proper Citation Jason Nicosia, Instructional Design Specialist, UConn Library Week 3, Session 6
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 12:00 PM Ethics in the Use of Animal Subjects in Research Mark Johnson, IACUC Specialist Week 4, Session 1
Wednesday, February 22, 2023 10:00 AM Research Data Security Dr. Chris Bernard, Chief Information Systems Security Officer Week 4, Session 2
Wednesday, February 22, 2023 1:00 PM Conflicts of Interest in Research Dr. Gustavo Fernandez-Wolff, Research Compliance Monitor Week 4, Session 3
Thursday, February 23, 2023 10:00 AM Managing Mentoring and Peer Relationships Dr. Jim Wohl, University Ombudsman Week 4, Session 4

OPTION 2 – Approved Department-Sponsored RCR Course

Some departments may require that all of their students take an RCR course, regardless of involvement in federally sponsored research. Department-sponsored RCR courses must be approved by the Office of the Vice President for Research. In addition, GRAD 5910: Responsible Conduct in Research, is a 1-credit graduate course offered every semester which satisfies the RCR requirement.

Fall semester:

Catalog Number Class Number Topic
GRAD 5910-001 3927 D. McDonald – Responsible Conduct in Research

Spring semester:

Catalog Number Class Number Topic
GRAD 5910-001 7292 D. Daggett – Responsible Conduct in Research

The following course is also available to be taken through UConn Health:

Catalog Number Class Number Topic
MEDS 5310 1022 B. Kream – Responsible Conduct in Research

RCR Curriculum

The RCR curriculum includes the following topics:

  • Authorship and plagiarism [NIFA requirement]
  • Data and research integration (acquisition and management) [NIFA requirement]
  • Research Misconduct / Reporting misconduct [NIFA requirement]
  • Mentor/trainee responsibilities and relationships
  • Collaborative research and industry relationships
  • Conflict of Interest in Research
  • Use of Human Subjects in Research
  • Collaborative Research and Industry Relationships
  • Export Controls Compliance
  • Biosafety Regulatory Compliance
  • Peer Review

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here is a list of frequently asked questions about the Responsible Conduct of Research training workshops and requirements. Click on each question to expand and reveal the answer.

Are the RCR training workshops offered during the summer?

No, the RCR training workshops are only offered in January, prior to the start of the Spring Semester.

My program does not require me to work with the topic subject groups. Must I attend that portion of the program?

Yes. The requirement for RCR training is 8 hours of in-person training, and you must participate in the full program in order to satisfy the requirement.

I took the CITI training online. Do I have to take the training in person?

In order to satisfy the RCR requirement, you must participate in the 8 hours of in-person training.

I took the RCR training at another University. Must I repeat the RCR training?

The Office of the Vice President for Research will review written requests for credit for prior RCR training with appropriate supporting documentation.

Does my academic Department/Major course that covers Responsible Conduct of Research satisfy the RCR requirement?

A course can only satisfy the RCR requirement if it is pre-approved by the Office of the Vice President for Research.

How do I confirm that I completed the RCR Requirement?

Your student transcript will indicate satisfactory completion for credit-bearing RCR courses. The Office of the Vice President for Research can verify full participation in the two-part training workshops.

Will I be notified by the Office of the Vice President for Research that I need to take RCR training?

No. If you are being paid on a Federal grant with an RCR training requirement, the Principal Investigator (PI) will inform you that you must satisfy the RCR requirement.

What happens if I do not fulfill the RCR requirement?

If you do not fulfill the RCR requirement, you cannot be paid with federal funds to work on the federally funded grant.

If I am not currently working and being paid on a federal grant, can I take the RCR training?

Individuals who are being paid to work on federally funded grants have priority for registering. Individuals who plan to work on federally funded grants should consider registering for RCR training.

Contact

For general information pertaining to this requirement:

Nicholas Lacafta
Office of the Vice President for Research
Whetten Graduate Center, Unit 1246
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
Telephone: 860.486.8802
nicholas.lacafta@uconn.edu