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 Conduct of Research (RCR) 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: personal, professional, and financial;
  • Animal subjects in research.
  • 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

Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act 1 requires that “…each institution that applies for financial assistance from the Foundation (NSF) for science and engineering research or education describe in its grant proposal a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in the proposed research project.”

Effective January 4, 2010, all new 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 conduct of research. Although principal investigators (PIs) are not required to complete RCR training, Rice University strongly encourages them to do so.

To comply with NSF regulations pertaining to RCR training, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and other key staff must complete the Epigeum Responsible Conduct of Research online course. For instructions on completing Epigeum training, Log into the Epigeum platform.

Those students and scholars being paid by NSF-funded research awards must provide evidence that they have satisfactorily completed RCR training prior to receiving payment. Although Rice is responsible for ensuring that researchers and scholars are properly trained in the responsible conduct of research, the Principal Investigator (PI) must create an environment that supports the responsible and ethical conduct of research.

NIH RCR Training Requirements and Plan

If you are a trainee, fellow, participant, or scholar supported now or in the future by funds received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) using career development awards (K-series individual or institutional), research education T-series grants, and NRSA awards (F series), you must 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.

Rice’s Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering plays a key role in providing integrated biomedical research training programs, including training on the responsible conduct of research.

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