The National Science Foundation Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (NSF PAPPG 23-1) includes changes to the existing requirements regarding training in the “Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research” (RECR). Institutions that submit proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF) on or after July 31, 2023,  must now also certify that they have a plan in place to provide appropriate training and oversight in RECR for faculty and other senior personnel, with a focus on mentor training and mentorship. At present, the NSF does not require training plans to be included in proposals; however, those plans are subject to review upon request. RECR training has already been required for all undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in research supported by NSF funds since 2010, and is similar to other existing federal funding agency requirements for training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).

Historically, the institutional license for the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program provided an online training vehicle by which to satisfy these kinds of requirements. Ultimately, however, the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) will supplant CITI with a comprehensive and customized responsible conduct of research program called “RCR@UMD.”

Going forward, UMD research community members are strongly encouraged to utilize the new RCR@UMD program, which responds to the aspect of the revised NSF requirements that training “should be effective and must be appropriately tailored to the specific needs and circumstances at each institution.” Note: Individuals who have completed a version of CITI’s RCR training containing the new standard curriculum, which includes the “Mentoring and Healthy Research Environments” module, between 7/1/23 and 7/31/23, have satisfied current training requirements.

RCR@UMD’s first two courses have been developed to provide our research community with a robust alternative that offers UMD-specific information and related resources, directly respond to the agency’s focus on mentorship training, and address other recent regulatory requirements related to the creation of safe research environments. The available courses include:

• The RCR Overview Course serves as a primer on the foundational concepts and range of topics traditionally associated with RCR education, tailored to our institution’s research community.
• The Mentor/Mentee Responsibilities & Relationships Course offers in-depth training in this crucial topic area in direct response to recent funding agency focus on mentorship, providing robust education in scholarly mentoring relationships, and equipping all researchers with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to nurture and maintain healthy, safe, and inclusive working environments that foster research integrity.

These first two RCR@UMD courses were prioritized to cover immediate regulatory needs for our institution and research community. They are part of a comprehensive “Research Integrity” catalog scheduled to be available in full in early 2024 and will include extensive treatment of a variety of topics relevant to conducting research responsibility in order to ensure that a culture of research integrity is broadly fostered across our research enterprise.

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What this means for you

• Fulfilling your training obligation. Faculty, senior personnel, undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in research supported by NSF must complete the requisite training prior to the funding of any impacted award. In addition, UMD must be able to verify the completion of the training.
  • Completing RCR@UMD’s “RCR Overview” course satisfies the requirement for RCR training broadly by providing a UMD-specific primer on foundational RCR concepts and topics.
  • Completing RCR@UMD’s “Mentor/Mentee Responsibilities & Relationships” course is also considered necessary in light of: the NSF’s requirement that the institution provide training that meets the specific needs and circumstances at each institution; our stated commitment to providing the resources necessary to support our research community; and the recognition that mentorship constitutes the means through which we create healthy, safe, and inclusive environments, train the next generation of researchers (technically, professionally, and ethically), and propagate model behaviors for conducting research responsibly and avoiding detrimental research practices and research misconduct.
• Accessing the training and verifying completion. All RCR@UMD courses are hosted on UMD’s Open Learning platform as part of the “Research Integrity” catalog. Please reference the detailed instructions guide– also housed on the Research Integrity “Education” webpage – for stepwise directions on how to enroll in an RCR@UMD course. The guide also contains information on how to earn and access your course completion certificate. Any individual who is required to complete this training should maintain a copy of their certificate/completion documentation so that they are able to provide it upon request

Questions regarding the fulfillment of the revised NSF requirement, other funding agency requirements, or the forthcoming full “RCR@UMD” program should be directed to rcr@umd.edu.