Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) for NSF grants
I. Background
In 2007, Congress passed the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science) Act, which required “that each institution that applies for financial assistance from the [National Science] Foundation (NSF) for science and engineering research or education describe in its grant proposal a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in the proposed research project.”
In January 2010, Reed College started requiring that all students and postdoctoral researchers included as research personnel on NSF submissions receive and complete training in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR).
Beginning in 2023, all proposals submitted or due on or after July 31, 2023, must expand this training requirement to also include all faculty and senior personnel, in addition to students and postdoctoral researchers.
The following policy statement and procedures describe Reed College’s process for fulfilling this critical and expanded research requirement.
II. Policy Statement
Reed College has adopted the following policy to address the RECR/RCR requirement, which applies to all NSF submissions and awards.
- Faculty, senior personnel, students and postdoctoral researchers pursuing an NSF grant or currently working on an NSF-sponsored project are expected to complete the tutorials pertaining to the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) training utilizing the College’s subscription to the CITI Program.
- Hourly (non-exempt) employees can use the time spent on the online tutorial as paid work time.
- Lab personnel must show, before the termination of the award or the conclusion of their association with Reed College, whichever is first, that they have completed the training as required by this policy.
III. Procedures
Reed College faculty, students, and all research personnel involved or planning to be involved in an NSF-sponsored project, must access the CITI Program (citiprogram.org) and complete the required modules for the Responsible [and Ethical] Conduct of Research training.
Please visit the CITI Program online and review the Getting Started Guide for detailed instructions on how to register and log into the site, as well as accessing specific courses.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are new to the CITI Program, please follow the steps to register and create a new account, which will include creating a CITI username and password. Reed DOES NOT use Single Sign On (SSO).
For any questions, please contact Reed College’s Office of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Support.