NSF Requirement for Training Undergraduate Students in Ethical Conduct
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced its planned implementation of another aspect of the 2007 America COMPETES Act. This new requirement, which takes effect for grant applications submitted as of January 4, 2010, will require certification of undergraduate training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR).
According to the August 20, 2009 Federal Register announcement, the NSF will require proposers to certify that the institution has a plan to, "provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who will be supported by NSF to conduct research."
NSF award terms and conditions on its grants will thus be modified to "clearly stipulate that institutions are responsible for verifying that undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers supported by NSF to conduct research have received RCR training." From what is known at this point, it appears that training can occur after a grant is received, rather than having to provide this training prior to receipt of awards. Even more uncertain though, is whether other U.S. agencies will impose a similar requirement.
Regarding the training itself and what it should include, the NSF points to two "beta sites that provide resources on ethics education in science and engineering." These NSF-funded websites and additional resources are now accessible from our new "Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)" portal.
We will do our best to provide updates regarding this impending requirement as we learn more about it.
