NSF and NIFA

To earn UC Davis RCR certification, NIH funded participants must:

  • Complete the RCR training modules via CITI.

How to complete the RCR training modules via CITI (login)

  1. Register with CITI
  2. Already have a CITI account? Click HERE to add the RCR directly to your CITI dashboard list of courses.

 How to receive your RCR certificate

  1. Complete the training requirements for your funding source.
  2. Send a request for your certificate to the Research Ethics and Compliance Office, Compliance Coordinator, at RECO.
    • Upon verification, your certificate will be emailed to you.
    • Certificates are processed at the end of the month in which your request is received.
    • RCR Training Certification is valid for three years.

Questions should be addressed to the Research Ethics and Compliance Office, Compliance Coordinator, at RECO.

NOTE: These RCR courses do not satisfy the basic courses for human subjects or lab animal welfare.

NSF Policy and Compliance

Breadth of Research Disciplines – Courses on Authorship, Collaborative Research, Communicating with the Public, Conflicts of Interest and Commitment, Data Management, Export Compliance for Researchers, Financial Responsibility, Introduction to Export Compliance, Introduction to RCR, Mentoring and Healthy Research Environments, Peer Review, Plagiarism, Presentation of Research Findings, Reproducibility of Research Results, Research Involving Human Subjects, Research Misconduct, Research Security Training (Combined), Research, Ethics, and Society, Using Animal Subjects in Research.

Compliance Oversight – The Research Ethics and Compliance Office (RECO) has been appointed oversight for RCR at UC Davis. RECO is responsible for verifying that undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior/key personnel supported by NSF to conduct research, have received training in the responsible and ethical conduct of research.

  • NSF supported researchers must take the CITI RCR Course.
  • UC Davis undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, including short-term visitors, paid by NSF under a research or educational award are required to complete the RCR training.

Failure to complete the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training can have grave consequences, including:

  • Sanctions: NSF may sanction institutions that do not comply with RCR training requirements.
  • Future funding: Institutions that do not comply with RCR training may have their eligibility for future funding impacted.
  • Awards: NSF may withhold awards until institutions complete the required training.
  • Removal from awards: Students who do not complete RCR training on time may be removed from awards.
  • Suspension of research: Students who do not complete RCR training on time may have their research activities suspended.
  • Loss of compensation: Students who do not complete RCR training on time may lose compensation.

Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 24-1)