Starting on June 7, 2025, in accordance with the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter II.D.1.e(ii), all PIs or co-PIs named on an NSF award made on or after May 20, 2024, must certify annually in Research.gov that they are not party to a MFTRP.

What you need to know about completing the required MFTRP certification in Research.gov:

• There is no organizational certification requirement, the certification requirement is for PIs and co-PIs.
• Impacted PIs and co-PIs will be prompted to complete the MFTRP certification after signing into Research.gov using the Sign In link at the top of www.Research.gov.
• PIs and co-PIs with more than one active award made on or after May 20, 2024, are only required to certify once, annually.
• Once completed, PIs and co-PIs can view their MFTRP certification response under the Academic/Professional Information section of their profile.
• NSF is working to expand the MFTRP annual certification requirement for all senior/key personnel roles at a future date. Additionally, NSF is working to provide organizations with access to the annual certifications.
• Please see PAPPG Chapter II.D.1.d(ix) for information about Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) responsibilities regarding senior/key personnel MFTRP certifications.
• Frequently Asked Questions and MFTRP contract examples will be available on the MFTRP section of the Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy website shortly.

Funding RCR Requirements 

• The requirement specified in Section 7009 of the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act (42 USC 1862o–1), and PAPPG Chapter IX.B

1. An institution must have a plan in place to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel who will be supported by NSF to conduct research. 
2. NSF’s RECR requirement applies to the breadth of research disciplines that the Foundation funds. The training provided should be effective and must be appropriately tailored to the specific needs and circumstances at each institution. Such content, however, must include mentor training and mentorship. 
3. An institution must designate one or more persons to oversee compliance with the RECR training requirement.
4. Institutions are responsible for verifying that undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel supported by NSF to conduct research have received training in the responsible and ethical conduct of research.

CITI Training  - The New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology's CITI Training modules are designed to be a very basic overview of RCR topics.

• Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) for Engineers Curriculum

• Conflict of Interest (COI) Curriculum

• Export Control Curriculum

Conflict of Interest Disclosure (Annual)

• Contact Sheila O'Sullivan at coi@nmt.edu
• NMT requires an annual COI disclosure
  • COI Disclosure form (Open during window which is announced each fall)

Mentorship 

• Contact Dr. ChoGlueck at Christopher.ChoGlueck@nmt.edu
• Research Ethics Series

Recommended Training (Optional)

• Fostering Integrity in Research
• Sexual Harassment of Women
• Reproducibility and Replicability in Science

For general questions please visit the NSF FAQ page:

• https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/rcr/rcrfaqs.jsp#15

Funding RCR Requirements

• NIH Research Ethics Course: Online training module, within 3 weeks of arrival (1 hour; tracked by OIR)
• Annual Ethics Case Studies: Institute/Center (IC)-facilitated discussion session review of cases provided by the Committee on Scientific Conduct and Ethics (CSCE) each year (1 hour per year; tracked by Institute/Center).

• NIH Research Ethics Course: Online training module within 3 weeks of arrival (1 hour; tracked by OIR)
• Annual Ethics Case Studies: Institute/Center (IC)—facilitated review of cases provided by CSCE each year (1 hour per year; tracked by Institute/Center).
• Ethics in Research Training Workshop: Face-to-face Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) workshop tailored specifically for either Postbaccalaureate Fellows/Pre-doctoral Fellows or Post-doctoral Fellows (IRTA/CRTA/VF, Research Fellows) within the first year of arrival (5-6 hours; tracked by OITE).

Format: 

Substantial face-to-face discussions among the participating trainees/fellows/scholars/participants; a combination of didactic and small-group discussions (e.g. case studies); and participation of research training faculty members in instruction in responsible conduct of research are highly encouraged. (While on-line courses can be a valuable supplement to instruction in responsible conduct of research, online instruction is not considered adequate as the sole means of instruction.) 

Subject Matter: 

While there are no specific curricular requirements for instruction in responsible conduct of research, the following topics have been incorporated into most acceptable plans for such instruction:

• conflict of interest personal, professional, and financial
• policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices
• mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
• collaborative research including collaborations with industry
• peer review
• data acquisition and laboratory tools; management, sharing and ownership
• research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
• responsible authorship and publication
• the scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research

Duration of Instruction: 

Instruction should involve substantive contact hours between the trainees/ fellows/scholars/participants, and the participating faculty. Acceptable programs generally involve at least eight contact hours. 

Frequency of Instruction: 

Instruction must be undertaken at least once during each career stage, and at a frequency of no less than once every four years. 

Funding RCR Requirements

The responsible and ethical conduct of research (RCR) is critical for excellence, as well as public trust, in science and engineering. Consequently, we consider education in RCR essential to the preparation of future scientists.

In accordance with sections 2, 3, and 8 of 2 CFR Part 422, institutions that conduct USDA-funded extramural research must foster an atmosphere conducive to research integrity, bear primary responsibility for prevention and detection of research misconduct, and maintain and effectively communicate and train their staff regarding policies and procedures. 

In the event an application to NIFA results in an award, the Authorized Representative (AR) assures, through acceptance of the award that the institution will comply with the above requirements. Award recipients shall, upon request, make available to NIFA the policies, procedures, and documentation to support the conduct of the training.

Minimum requirement: NMT's Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Curriculum

Note that the training referred to herein shall be either on-campus or off-campus training. The general content of the ethics training will, at a minimum, emphasize three key areas of research ethics: authorship and plagiarism, data and research integration, and reporting misconduct. Each institution will be responsible for developing its own training system, as schools will need flexibility to develop training tailored to their specific student needs. 

Grantees should consider the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program for RCR that include the following topics:

• Data Acquisition and Management - collection, accuracy, security, access
• Authorship and Publication; Peer Review; Mentor/Trainee
• Responsibilities
• Collaboration
• Conflict of Interest
• Research Misconduct
• Human Subject Research
• Use of Animals in Research

Research Security Training Requirement:

All researchers listed on a DOE grant application must have completed the training module at the link below in the previous 12 months:

https://www.energy.gov/ia/research-security-training-requirement

The SECURE Center Consolidated Training Module (Endorsed by DOE; Free; Approximately 1 hour)