What’s new?   The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced that RCR training will be required for faculty and other senior personnel. In addition, the training must also address mentor training and mentorship. These new requirements apply to NSF proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023.

Who needs RCR training?  All faculty, principal investigators, co-principal investigators, senior personnel, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students who are supported by an NSF grant awarded to UConn Health directly or as a sub-recipient are required to complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training.

How can the requirement be met? The RCR Basic Course offered online through the CITI Program covers all essential RCR topics. On July 1, 2023, the CITI Program added new online training modules in order to fulfill the new NSF requirement to include mentor training and mentorship. Those currently funded by NSF who completed the CITI RCR Course prior to July 1, 2023 should ensure that they have completed the new additional RCR training modules as soon as possible.

In-person RCR Workshops:  Workshops are held annually throughout the month of February. Each attendee will need to attend at least 8 hours of unique presentation material. All sessions are one hour long, including both presentation and discussion. Presenters will be presenting at various different times throughout the month to accommodate class schedules.

Approved Department-Sponsored RCR Course:  Some departments may require that all of their students take an RCR course, regardless of involvement in federally-sponsored research. Department-sponsored RCR courses must be approved by the RCR Program Office within the OVPR.

When must training be completed?  NSF RCR Training should be completed within the first 3 months of the NSF-funded project.