*Update for Fall 2020: RCR courses will be offered. The format may be face-to-face, online, or a hybrid. Please check with your course instructor.

 

Overview

In order to meet the institutional obligation to provide RCR training, The University of Iowa has developed a Responsible Conduct of Research Plan under the joint sponsorship and responsibility of the Graduate College and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

RCR Plan

Training Program

Approval of RCR courses for Advanced Training

Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Researchers

Federal Policies (NSF, NIH and USDA/NIFA)

FAQs

Contacts

 

 

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training Process

Our current RCR program focuses on four groups specifically engaged in NIH and/or NSF- funded research or other scholarly creativity involving undergraduates, predocs, postdocs and early career faculty holding NIH K-Awards.  For the purposes of RCR education, members of these four groups are designated as trainees. 

If the trainee is engaged in research that is funded by NIH, NSF, or NIFA (e.g., investigator initiated, career award, fellowship, or training grant), then the trainee must complete the appropriate RCR program described on page 2 of the RCR plan.

Program	Course Name	Eligibility and Timeframe	Tuition	Notes
Undergraduate and Professional (all AuD, DDS, DNP, MD, MHA, MPH, MSN, PharmD) Degree Students
Phase 1 online CITI training *	RCR modules according to role in research of trainee	Trainees may complete modules at their own pace, but must complete the entire course RCR course within the first month of research participation.	No cost to trainee	Trainees will access the CITI site through a UI portal designed to track and record their progress. Records of completion will be automatically generated, electronically maintained, and may be transferrable to other institutions.
* Once logged in, choose Responsible Conduct of Research (CITI) under “Training” Once logged in to the external site, click on “University of Iowa Courses” to expand the menu. Next, click “Add a course or update your learner groups for University of Iowa” Next select “I am required to complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training” and choose the most appropriate course among the 5 choices provided: Biomedical RCR, Social Sciences RCR, Physical Science RCR, Humanities RCR, Engineers RCR
Predoctoral  (Masters and Doctoral Degree) Students, Postdoctoral Fellows and K-Award Faculty
Phase 1 Online CITI Training *	RCR modules according to role in research of trainee	Trainees may complete modules at their own pace, but must complete the entire RCR course within the first month on federal funding.	No cost to trainee	Trainees will access the CITI site through a UI portal designed to track and record their progress. Records of completion will be automatically generated, electronically maintained, and may be transferrable to other institutions.
* Once logged in, choose Responsible Conduct of Research (CITI) under “Training” Once logged in to the external site, click on “University of Iowa Courses” to expand the menu. Next, click “Add a course or update your learner groups for University of Iowa” Next select “I am required to complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training” and choose the most appropriate course among the 5 choices provided: Biomedical RCR, Social Sciences RCR, Physical Science RCR, Humanities RCR, Engineers RCR
Phase 2 Face-to-Face Discipline Specific RCR courses	Different course titles in each academic unit.	Open to trainees in specific academic units or by special permission. Offered in either Fall or Spring semesters depending on the academic unit.  Trainees must enroll and complete the approved face-to-face RCR course after completion of the Phase 1 CITI training	For graduate students, this course will factor into student registrations and will be subject to the UI Tuition and Mandatory Fees Table in effect at the time. No cost to postdoctoral or K-Award trainees	Course completion will be recorded on the student’s transcript and can be reported to other institutions.
Additional Programmatic RCR training
NIH T32 trainees may be required to complete specific T32 RCR training identified by their individual NIH training programs.

 

Approval of RCR courses for Advanced Training

Not all of in‐person ethics of research training course offered at the University of Iowa satisfy either the institutional RCR plan of the Federal guidelines.  A doctoral program, department or college that wants to offer an advanced face-to-face RCR course for doctoral and postdoctoral trainees must submit a proposal to the Graduate College prior to the semester in which the course will be taught to count as an approved course. In addition, all course syllabi are audited yearly to ensure they continue to meet federally required content standards. Please contact Shelly Campo in the Graduate College at 335-2136 for more information.

 

*Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Researchers

Click here to review the Graduate College's policies and recommendations for all graduate students and postdoctoral researchers involved in federally funded research.

 

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) RCR Requirements

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has implemented a new requirement to ensure all undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in NSF-funded projects receive appropriate training in the Responsible Conduct of Research. As of January 2010 institutions must, at the time of proposal submission, formally certify that an RCR training plan is in place and must, as a condition of award, ensure that all participating students and postdoctoral researchers receive the required training. Learn more

• NSF's RCR FAQs

 

 

The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) RCR requirements

NIH requires that 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 must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research.  This policy will take effect with all new and renewal applications submitted on or after January 25, 2010, and for all continuation (Type 5) applications with deadlines on or after January 1, 2011.  Learn more

 

 

 

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Effective for awards subject to the NIFA’s February 2013 Research Terms and Conditions (and those issued subsequently), program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in the research project (“participant”) must receive appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. NIFA requires this training only for projects that are research in nature.

• Visit the USDA/NIFA website to learn more
• Visit the NSF host website for any newer version of USDA/NIFA Agency Specific Terms and Conditions

 

 

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Additional Resources:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) expects institutions to be able to verify that those students (undergraduates and graduates) and postdoctoral researchers who receive NSF funds (support from salary and/or stipends to conduct research on NSF grants) will obtain RCR training. However, NSF anticipates that institutions will develop their RCR training programs in a manner that helps prepare the next generation of researchers, including the consideration of risks or other factors associated with student and postdoctoral researcher participation in research.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy applies to all NIH Institutional Research Training Grants, Individual Fellowship Awards, Career Development Awards (Institutional and Individual), Research Education Grants, Dissertation Research Grants, or other grant programs with a training component that requires instruction in responsible conduct of research as noted in the Funding Opportunity Announcement.

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has mandated that program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in the research project receive appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research.