National Institutes of Health (NIH) Responsible Conduct of Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) instruction for individuals receiving support through NIH Institutional Research Training Grants, Individual Fellowship Awards, Career Development Awards, Research Education Grants, Dissertation Research Grants, and other programs that specifically require RCR instruction in the applicable funding opportunity announcement.

NIH requires instruction in the responsible conduct of research for trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars supported through applicable NIH programs. NIH guidance emphasizes discussion-based instruction, substantive interaction among participants and faculty, and active engagement in research integrity education.

At a minimum, NIH recommends instruction in topics such as conflict of interest, mentor and trainee responsibilities, collaborative research, peer review, research misconduct, responsible authorship and publication practices, data acquisition and management, human subjects protections, and other areas relevant to research integrity.

NIH guidance recommends that RCR instruction occur at a frequency of no less than once every four years. Furthermore, Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training must be completed within 12 months of receiving NIH support.

Individuals subject to NIH RCR requirements should complete all applicable training components in accordance with university guidance and sponsor expectations. Principal Investigators play an important role in encouraging personnel covered by NIH Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RCR) requirements and supported by their NIH-funded projects, including subawards, to complete applicable RCR training in accordance with institutional requirements.

Virginia Tech utilizes the Notable Scholars Promoting Innovative Research and Ethics lecture (NSPIRE) series (formerly known as the Investigator Series) to provide discussion-based instruction that supports NIH expectations for substantive interaction, discussion, and engagement among participants and faculty.

Students enrolled in or planning to enroll in courses intended to satisfy the NIH discussion-based RCR instruction requirement should contact the Research Integrity program at integrity@vt.edu to verify the course's eligibility. Faculty teaching such courses are also encouraged to contact integrity@vt.edu to ensure eligible participants receive appropriate credit toward NIH RCR training requirements.

If you have questions regarding NIH RCR training requirements, please see the Research Integrity website.