Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

NSF requires individuals in the following categories to complete RCR training prior to charging salary on an award. Note: the RCR training requirement for NSF awards has not changed. 

• All faculty
• Principal investigators
• Co-principal investigators
• Senior/key personnel
• Post-doctoral researchers
• Graduate students
• Undergraduate students

NIH requires all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training grant, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, or dissertation research grant must receive 8 hours of face-to-face, discussion based instruction in RCR under the direction and supervision of the faculty PI. The RCR Training and Education Plan outlines these requirements in more detail.

For Lehigh's institutional RCR requirements and NSF awards, RCR training can be completed solely via CITI RCR training. The CITI training can be supplemented with additional content, at the PI's discretion. 

For NIH awards, individuals required to complete RCR training are identified by the PI and directed by the PI to complete RCR training that is directly relevant and tailored to their research area and discipline. This training must be primarily discussion based, involving face-to-face interaction in real-time. The training might involve a combination of the following:

1. The RCR Basic Course offered online through the CITI Program provides a total of 4-6 hours of training. This may be used towards a portion, but not all hours, of required NIH training.
2. The Office of Research Integrity offers workshops on a regular basis.
3. Research Mentoring Training based upon the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) is offered on a regular basis through the Lehigh University ADVANCE Center.
4. Department-sponsored courses that the Office of Research Integrity has confirmed meet at least some RCR requirements.
5. Training developed by the individual Principal Investigator or other RCR experts.

The university requires all individuals in the categories below to complete the CITI RCR training, regardless of the sponsorship of their research activity.

• All new faculty members
• All new Post-Doctoral Researchers
• All new Doctoral Students
• All new Master’s Students completing research-based thesis or project work related to their degree
• Training needs to be completed again when early career researchers advance into new roles, as follows:
  • Moving from Master’s Student to Doctoral Student
  • Moving from Doctoral Student to Post-doctoral Researcher
  • Moving from Post-doctoral Researcher to tenure-track Lehigh faculty

The 8 hour initial RCR training requirement is an NIH requirement. Lehigh's RCR training policy is designed to comply with this NIH requirement.

The PI on an applicable NIH award is responsible for:

1. Reviewing the award terms and conditions and identifying when RCR training is required.
2. Identifying and notifying the individuals working on an award who must receive RCR
   training.
3. Determining the most appropriate format, content and instruction for RCR training,
   aligned with sponsor requirements and Lehigh University’s RCR Training and Education
   Plan.
4. Reporting as required under the terms of the specific funding program.
5. Maintaining documentation of completion of RCR training for all applicable personnel.

For example, a PI may determine that it is appropriate for personnel on an applicable NIH award to complete CITI refresher RCR course as a part of their retraining, if they already took the CITI basic RCR course. However, the CITI RCR course is one of multiple options for meeting the RCR training and retraining requirements, and NIH states that it should not be the sole source of RCR training. 

No. The policy acknowledges there may already be courses developed for completely separate purposes that would meet RCR training requirements, and if so, ORI would verify that they meet RCR requirements so the university can leverage courses it already offers in order to meet these requirements. Please contact Matthew Dohn to request a RCR content review for a given course. 

Yes. The policy sets the minimum standard for training requirements. As long as a college or department level requirement complies with the minimum standards established in the University policy, the college or department can extend requirements to additional populations. In other words, a department or college can require more, but not less, than is required by a University policy.

The "Responsibilities" section of the RCR Training and Education Plan outlines what is required for each of the relevant stakeholders: ORSP, ORI, the PI, and the Department.

For NSF awards, It is the responsibility of the PI to inform their research team about the training requirement. ORSP checks that personnel have completed the RCR training on an NSF award prior to processing their payroll form.

The Lehigh University Data Cookbook defines “research” as: 

A systematic investigation directed toward fuller scientific knowledge or understanding of the subject studied. This includes design, development, systems or methods, improvement of prototypes, new processes, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. Research may include patient-oriented research, including epidemiologic and behavioral studies, outcomes research, and health services research conducted with human subjects (or on material of human origin such as tissues, specimens, and cognitive phenomena.) Research also includes activities involving the training of individuals in research techniques where such activities utilize the same facilities as other research activities and where such activities are not included in the instruction function.
 

ORI regularly offers workshops every semester which may be used in partial fulfillment for RCR training requirements, such as IRB 101 and Export Control 101 workshops. 

For questions about RCR requirements on a sponsored project, the relevant CGS can provide information. For questions about RCR course content and the RCR training policy, contact Matthew Dohn in ORI.