National Science Foundation (NSF) Responsible Conduct of Research

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) requires institutions receiving NSF funding to maintain a plan for providing appropriate training and oversight in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RCR). NSF expanded these requirements in 2023 to include faculty and other senior personnel, in addition to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. Training must also include mentor training and mentorship.

NSF requires institutions receiving NSF funding to provide appropriate Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RCR) training and oversight for undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel who are supported by NSF-funded research projects.

At a minimum, NSF expects institutions to provide education and oversight related to the responsible and ethical conduct of research. Topics commonly addressed through RCR training include research misconduct, authorship and publication practices, data acquisition and management, conflicts of interest, peer review, collaborative research, mentor and trainee responsibilities, research integrity, and mentoring practices.

Virginia Tech fulfills this requirement through online training delivered via the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) and other institutional resources as applicable. Instructions on how to access the CITI Responsible Conduct of Research course. CITI learners are required to complete the Basic Responsible Conduct of Research Course.

Award recipients are expected to maintain compliance with institutional RCR requirements and applicable NSF policies. Principal Investigators play an important role in encouraging personnel covered by NSF Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RCR) requirements and supported by their NSF-funded projects, including subawards, to complete applicable RCR training in accordance with institutional requirements.

All such personnel working on an NSF funded project must complete this training in Responsible Conduct of Research no later than 30 days following the start date of the project, including individuals added to a project in progress. Failure to comply with this policy by any required participants within the specified time frame may result in freezing the account of the project supporting these personnel.

If you have any questions regarding the NSF RCR training requirement, please see the Research Integrity website.