About Responsible Conduct of Research Training
Public trust in the integrity and ethical behavior of scholars must be maintained if research is to continue to play its proper role at UNE and in society. In alignment with UNE’s strategic plan to produce focused research and scholarship, UNE policy dictates that all research and scholarly activities be carried out with the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior.
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is broadly defined as applying best practices in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or reporting research results regardless of the scientific or scholarly discipline. RCR encompasses both the ethical conduct of research and research compliance. The latter is comprised of complying with all applicable laws, regulations, and institutional policies governing research and scholarly activity.
Research or scholarly activity that is federally supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), or USDA-NIFA (USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture) may require individuals to complete a program of education in RCR as a term of the federal grant. Scroll down to view the federal RCR program requirements for NIH, NSF, and USDA‑NIFA.
Although RCR instruction is not required for everyone, anyone involved with research and scholarly activity at UNE (regardless of funding) is strongly encouraged to participate in any and all aspects of UNE’s RCR training program.
Program Goals
The goals of RCR training are to:
- Foster and support a culture of integrity in research and scholarly activities at the University of New England among faculty, professional staff, and students.
- Raise awareness and understanding among the UNE community regarding the ethical and responsible conduct of research and scholarly activity.
- Help faculty, professional staff, and students stay current and compliant with federal RCR requirements.
- Create a resource base of information and mentors to support the educational and professional development of students, faculty, and professional staff in the ethical conduct of research and scholarly activity.
UNE RCR Education Program
UNE offers a comprehensive program of RCR education available to all faculty, professional staff, and students.
Training is offered through a mixture of online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) RCR modules, access to previously recorded RCR lectures via an on-demand video library, and various in‑person discussion formats (e.g., interactive UNE RCR training seminar, UNE RCR lecture series, UNE coaching/mentoring training, and personal interaction between mentor and mentee).
Additionally, RCR educational events sponsored by the MaineHealth Institute for Research (MHIR) are available to the UNE community.
Training Topics
- Animal Care and Use
- Protection of Human Research Participants
- Conflict of Interest and Commitment
- Misconduct in Research and Scholarly Activity
- Intellectual Property
- Collaborative Research
- Export Controls and Foreign Influence
- Rigor and Reproducibility
- Data Management including Secure and Ethical Data Use
- Mentor/Mentee Roles and Responsibilities
- Peer Review
- Responsible Authorship and Publication
- Safe Research Environments
- Controlled Substances
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Responsible Scientist
Federal RCR Program Requirements
NIH RCR Program Requirements
NIH requires RCR education for all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, and dissertation research grant. NIH applications require a plan for instruction in the responsible conduct of research.
NIH RCR Program FAQ
NSF RCR Program Requirements
NSF requires RCR education for all undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior/key personnel supported by an NSF grant. Training plans are not required to be included in proposals submitted to NSF; however, institutions are advised that they are subject to review upon request.
NSF RCR Program FAQ
USDA-NIFA RCR Program Requirements
USDA-NIFA mandates that program directors, faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and any staff participating in research supported by a USDA-NIFA grant must receive responsible and ethical conduct of research education.
USDA-NIFA RCR Program FAQ
Resources
UNE Resources
- On-Demand Video Archive: UNE RCR Lecture Series
- UNE Research Policies and Forms Website
- UNE Office of Training in Research
- Guidance for Facilitating RCR Mentored Discussions (PDF)
- RCR Credit Submission Form for Participation in Mentored Discussions
- RCR Credit Submission Form: UNE RCR Lecture Series or External RCR Educational Event
UNE Research Support Resources
If your work involves any of the following categories, you may need approval or to contact an office prior to use.
If your work involves | DEA Controlled Substances |
You need approval from | Environmental and Health Safety |
Contact | Environmental Health and Safety |
If your work involves | Export Controls; Sensitive Technology; Foreign Collaborations (including visiting scholars); International Travel; Non-Disclosure or Material Transfer Agreements for Incoming/Outgoing Research Information or Materials |
You need approval from | Office of Sponsored Programs |
Contact | Office of Sponsored Programs |
If your work involves | Intellectual Property, Corporate Relations, Financial Interests |
You need approval from | Office of Sponsored Programs |
Contact | Office of Sponsored Programs |
If your work involves | Ionizing Radiation, Lasers, Magnetic Resonance, Imaging Devices, Radioactive materials (including Sealed Resources, or X-Ray Machines |
You need approval from | University-Wide Radiation Safety (UWSC) |
Contact | Environmental Health and Safety |
If your work involves | Hazardous Chemicals or Regulated Wastes |
You need approval from | Environmental and Health Safety |
Contact | Environmental Health and Safety |
If your work involves | Human Subjects |
You need approval from | Institutional Review Board (IRB) |
Contact | Office of Research Integrity |
If your work involves | Protected Health Information |
You need approval from | HIPAA Officer |
Contact | HIPAA Officer |
If your work involves | Research Misconduct |
You need approval from | Research Integrity Officer (RIO) |
Contact | RIO |
If your work involves | Vertebrate Animals |
You need approval from | Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) |
Contact | Office of Research Integrity |
If your work involves | You need approval from | Contact |
---|---|---|
DEA Controlled Substances | Environmental and Health Safety | Environmental Health and Safety |
Export Controls; Sensitive Technology; Foreign Collaborations (including visiting scholars); International Travel; Non-Disclosure or Material Transfer Agreements for Incoming/Outgoing Research Information or Materials | Office of Sponsored Programs | Office of Sponsored Programs |
Intellectual Property, Corporate Relations, Financial Interests | Office of Sponsored Programs | Office of Sponsored Programs |
Ionizing Radiation, Lasers, Magnetic Resonance, Imaging Devices, Radioactive materials (including Sealed Resources, or X-Ray Machines | University-Wide Radiation Safety (UWSC) | Environmental Health and Safety |
Hazardous Chemicals or Regulated Wastes | Environmental and Health Safety | Environmental Health and Safety |
Human Subjects | Institutional Review Board (IRB) | Office of Research Integrity |
Protected Health Information | HIPAA Officer | HIPAA Officer |
Research Misconduct | Research Integrity Officer (RIO) | RIO |
Vertebrate Animals | Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) | Office of Research Integrity |
Federal Resources
NIH Requirements
The below notices detail updates to the NIH requirements for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research
NSF Requirements
The below policies detail NSF requirements for Instruction in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research
USDA-NIFA Requirements
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity
Events
Contact
Karen Houseknecht, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Research Integrity Officer
Professor and Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship
(207) 602-2872
khouseknecht@yilunjianshe.com
For general inquiries contact the Office of Training in Research at rcr@yilunjianshe.com.