Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training

Rice University is deeply dedicated to building and nurturing a community of scholars involved in top-tier research and scholarship. Consequently, the University, along with all its members—faculty, postdoctoral fellows, staff, and students—shares a unified objective of cultivating and maintaining an atmosphere where academic scholarship, rooted in the principles of academic freedom and free inquiry, can thrive.

Rice’s mission focuses on pursuing innovative research within a framework that prioritizes the ethical conduct of research. The University boasts a rich history of establishing policies and practices that support this essential requirement.

As part of the Rice University community, every faculty member is tasked with upholding the highest ethical standards of the institution, as well as those of the research and academic communities to which they belong. Additionally, Rice faculty are committed to mentoring postdoctoral scholars as they navigate their transition to independent academic careers. The Rice community actively works to foster and uphold collegiality, investigative curiosity, and the responsible conduct of all facets of scholarship, encompassing both research and teaching.

The University is devoted to upholding the trust bestowed upon it by the members of the Rice community, as well as by those it serves and to whom it has fiduciary and stewardship obligations. In its pursuit of the utmost standards of integrity in research and scholarship, Rice University is committed to equipping its students, postdoctoral scholars, and other participants in the research enterprise with the necessary training to conduct their research and professional endeavors in a manner that embodies the principles of honesty, accuracy, objectivity, and efficiency, which are fundamental to research integrity. Training and education in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) represent a facet of Rice’s dedication to uphold the highest standards of research integrity within its research community, encompassing undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty.

The expectation for all individuals engaged in research at Rice is that they will have a clear understanding and suitable training relevant to their research in the following areas:

  • The roles and responsibilities of the mentor and trainee.
  • The ethical conduct of research.
  • Research misconduct.
  • Responsible authorship and publication.
  • Data acquisition and laboratory tools; management, sharing and ownership.
  • Conflicts of interest, including personal, professional, and financial conflicts.
  • The welfare of animals used for research and teaching.
  • The safety and privacy of human research participants.
  • Safe laboratory practices, including issues pertaining to collaborations with industry.
  • Understanding the peer review process; and
  • Contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research and the environmental and societal impact of scientific research.

NSF RCR Training Requirements and Plan

As of July 21, 2023, all awards funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF) require undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers, and any other key personnel participating in the sponsored research project, to complete an approved course in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. Principal investigators (PIs) are also required to complete PI-specific RCR training.

To comply with NSF regulations pertaining to RECR training, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and other key staff must complete the Responsible Conduct of Research online course provided by Epigeum. For accessing Epigeum training, log into the Epigeum platform. PIs on NSF projects are required to complete Mentorship training. Instructions for this training can be found by clicking this link.

Those students and scholars being paid by NSF-funded research awards must provide evidence that they have satisfactorily completed RECR training prior to receiving payment. Research integrity is a crucial expectation of the Rice community, and is a team effort. Rice is responsible for ensuring that researchers and scholars are properly trained in the responsible and ethical conduct of research, principal investigators (PIs) must create an environment that supports these practices, and all researchers and research-associated personnel are required to engage in their activities in a responsible and ethical way.

NIH RCR Training Requirements and Plan

Trainees, fellows, participants, or scholars supported now or in the future by funds received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) using individual and institutional career development awards (K-series), research training (T series), fellowships (F series), and research education awards (e.g., R25), must complete appropriate RECR training. This training must be completed at least every four years or at each career stage (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral researcher, faculty member), whichever is sooner. Persons receiving this support should complete the Epigeum Responsible Conduct of Research online course and the academic course UNIV 594 focused on RCR or participate in another form of approved, in-classroom training.

For additional information and requirements related to acceptable RCR training for NIH awards, click here.