Responsible Conduct of Research
The revised policy for Responsible Conduct of Research at Boston College, in accordance with NIH and NSF guidelines, is effective as of September 2024.
The full text of the policy can be viewed here.
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 has changed Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) requirements for NSF funded investigators. Specifically, undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and senior personnel with NSF funding must now complete RCR training. The CHIPS Act also requires new topics to be included in RCR training. To meet this requirement, Boston College has developed an online course called “RECR Training for NSF-Funded Researchers Course for Boston College (ID:1155).” Instructions for how to enroll in and complete this training can be found here. According to the federal regulations, the required RCR training is now applicable to anyone funded on NSF proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023.
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 includes 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.
RCR instruction to be undertaken at least once during each career stage, and at a frequency of no less than once every four years. At Boston College, this requirement will be met through participation in the RSI Program. This program provides eight 2-hour seminars on research ethics topics each academic year, either in person or via Zoom. Participants must attend any four seminars (a total of eight hours) to complete the program. Most doctoral students and postdocs at Boston College already participate in the RSI program, and do not need to complete any additional seminars if they are also subject to this requirement due to their NIH funding status.
The VPR Office will run a report twice a year through PeopleSoft to identify all researchers (students, faculty, staff) supported by NIH or NSF grants that are subject to this federal policy. PIs will then be notified about all researchers supported by their grants and which training they must complete. Each individual will also be sent instructions about the training they must complete. Principal investigators are responsible for maintaining training records for their federally funded projects, including ensuring that all research staff on their grants (whether undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, or staff) have completed their training requirements. We strongly recommend that all PIs maintain an up-to-date list at all times of each individual working on their projects and the RCR training they have completed. The VPR Office will also track completion of the CITI course for NSF funded researchers, and the RSI Program for NIH funded researchers to whom the policy applies.
Under this policy, the PI is responsible for:
- Reading this policy and discussing it with their funded team members
- Ensuring that the research team completes the RCR training
- Retaining records of this training
- Certifying on an annual basis that the RCR training has been completed
Under this policy, the VPR Office is responsible for:
- Notifying PIs about the RCR training requirements
- Retaining records of online RCR training completions
- Retaining records of attendance at in-person training
Please contact erin.sibley@bc.edu with any questions.