PI/PDs who receive grant funding from NIH, NSF or USDA are responsible for complying with Amherst College’s RCR Policy and Training Plan, as well as any additional requirements from the funding agency. Training must be completed within 60 days of initial engagement in the sponsored research activity (or sooner, if stipulated by the funder). Guidance for complying with NIH, NSF and USDA RCR training requirements is provided below. Investigators should contact the Office of Sponsored Research and Foundation Relations with any questions pertaining to funding agency requirements. For information on CITI training, visit the College's main RCR policy page, under Training Plan - Procedures.

PI/PDs should note that CITI RCR training is valid for three years, after which point a refresher course is required.

NIH

PI/PDs applying for an NIH training grant, career development award,  or research education grant will be required to submit an overview of an RCR training plan with their application. Applicants are encouraged to be thoughtful in designing an RCR training plan in order to provide optimal instruction for the career stage or educational level of the individual researchers involved and the subject matter of the project. All plans should include Amherst College’s RCR CITI Training Program, substantial face to face instruction, and any other instruction deemed appropriate. 

RCR Training should occur throughout a scientist's career, minimally once per career stage or every four years. Most acceptable plans cover the topics listed below and include at least eight hours of instructional time. Full guidance can be found here: NOT-OD-10-019 and NOT-OD-22-055. 

Topics recommended by NIH include:

  • Collaborative research, including collaborations with industry and investigators and institutions in other countries
  • Conflict of interest and conflict of commitment, in allocating time, effort, or other resources
  • Contemporary ethical issues in science
  • Data acquisition and analysis; laboratory tools (e.g., tools for analyzing data and creating or working with digital images); record keeping practices, including methods such as electronic laboratory notebooks
  • Secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing and ownership
  • Environmental and societal impacts of scientific research
  • Mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
  • Peer review responsibilities, including the responsibility for maintaining confidentiality and security in peer review
  • Research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
  • Policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices    
  • Responsible authorship and publication  
  • Safe and inclusive research environments (e.g., those that promote inclusion and are free of sexual, racial, ethnic, disability and other forms of discriminatory harassment) 
  • The scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research.

 

NSF

NSF stipulates that all researchers involved in an NSF funded project must complete RCR training. Mentor and Mentorship training is a required part of this training.  

To meet NSF requirements, all PI/PDs*, undergraduate students, post-baccalaureate fellows, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, senior personnel, and staff members conducting research on an NSF grant-funded project should complete the Amherst College RCR CITI Training Program appropriate to their career stage or educational level and the subject matter of the project. PI/PDs should assign additional topics as needed. Human Subject Research and Use of Animals in Research training should be assigned whenever relevant.

*In accordance with Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act, for new NSF proposals submitted or due on or after 7/31/23, NSF expanded requirements for RCR training to include all faculty members and other senior personnel. PI/PDs are responsible for completing and maintaining documentation of training as outlined in Amherst College’s RCR Policy and Training Plan.

The full text for NSF requirements can be found here: Chapter IX: Recipient Standards - Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1)

 

USDA

USDA requires that all undergraduate students, post-baccalaureate fellows, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, other senior personnel and staff paid on the grant conducting research on a USDA-funded project complete RCR training. 

Topics recommended by USDA include: 

  • Data Acquisition and Management - collection, accuracy, security, access
  • Authorship and Publication
  • Peer Review; Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities
  • Collaboration
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Human Subject Research and Use of Animals in Research, when relevant.

To meet the USDA’s requirement, all PI/PDs and researchers should complete the Amherst College RCR CITI Training Program appropriate to their career stage or educational level and the subject matter of the project. Required modules plus supplemental modules can be used to meet the recommended topics above. Human Subject Research and Use of Animals in Research training should be assigned whenever relevant.

Visit the USDA's site: Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research | NIFA