Federal Agency Requirements

All undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers supported by NSF financial assistance awards to conduct research on research grants submitted after January 4, 2010, must comply with the NSF training policy. Conferences, symposiums, workshops, and travel awards are exempt from this requirement. The NSF also refers to RCR as RECR (Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research); however, they are the same training and are more commonly referred to as RCR

The CHIPS & Science Act, enacted in 2022, expanded RCR requirements for NSF research awards. Consistent with the act, RCR requirements expanded to include all senior personnel (whether paid or unpaid) and specify the RCR curriculum to include:

• Federal export control, disclosure, and reporting requirements
• Mentor training and mentorship
• Training to raise awareness of potential research security threats

Training should be completed within 60 days of the start of the award.

Links to NSF Policy on RCR

• NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (See Section B)
• NSF Responsible & Ethical Conduct of Research Page
• The COMPETES Act, 42 USC 1862o-1.

NSF requires PIs to submit a mentoring plan with any proposal that will support postdocs. Guidelines have been developed for mentoring plans that may be used in addressing RCR in grant applications available in the Mentoring Plans in Research, Career Development and Training Proposals–Guidelines for Principal Investigators (PDF)

• CSU Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan (NSF)
• Harvard Postdoctoral Research Mentoring Plan (NSF)
• FASEB (NSF)
• Section 7008: Mentoring Plans for all postdoctoral fellows. (42 USC 1862o)
  • Each proposal that contains postdoctoral researchers must include, as a supplementary document, a description of the mentoring activities that will be provided for such individuals. The mentoring plan must not exceed one page.
  • Mentoring activities may include career counseling, training in preparing grant applications, guidance on ways to improve teaching skills, and training in research ethics.
  • In addition, all progress reports for research grants that include funding to support postdoctoral researchers must include a description of the mentoring activities provided to such researchers.

All trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, and/or dissertation research grant must receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. This NIH policy took effect with all new and renewal applications submitted on or after January 25, 2010, and for all continuation applications with deadlines on or after January 1, 2011.

Applicable trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars who are supported longer than six months by their NIH projects, including sub-awards, must complete 8 hours of in-person RCR training within 12 months of receiving NIH support. Training must be performed every 4 years and at each new career stage

The requirement 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. This policy also applies to any other NIH-funded programs supporting research training, career development, or research education that require instruction in responsible conduct of research, as stated in the relevant funding opportunity announcements.

Additional information and guidance can be found at NIH OER Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research

Links to NIH Policy on RCR

• NIH RCR Policy Update
• NIH Grants Policy Statement
• NIH RCR Page

Individual Development Plans for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows requires that a formal mentoring plan (IDP) be generated for all trainees (NOT-OD-13-093 and NOT-OD-14-113).

• CSU Fellowship (NIH)
• Stanford University Fellowship (NIH)
• Washington University Fellowship (NIH)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requires institutions that conduct USDA-funded extramural research to foster an atmosphere conducive to research integrity. USDA considers “education in RCR essential to the preparation of future scientists”. All undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers receiving support through any USDA-NIFA award must receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research.

Institutions awarded with NIFA funding must comply with regulatory requirements, including prevention and detection of research misconduct, and training of staff. Content of training, at minimum, is expected to emphasize: authorship and plagiarism, data and research integration, and reporting misconduct.

Training should be completed within 60 days of the start of the award.

Link to USDA Policy on RCR

• USDA NIFA Page