Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Training:

In compliance with Promoting Objectivity in Research (42 CFR Part 50, Subpart F), Furman requires investigators involved in scientific research to disclose Significant Financial Interests. More information can be found at Furman’s Financial Conflict of Interest webpage and Policy 092.0.

• Training Method: Completion of a CITI course on invesitagator responsibilities, COI rules, and conflicts of commitment and conscience.
• Who: All senior/key personnel conducting research supported by federal agencies.
• Training Timeframe: Prior to engaging in federally funded research and every four years.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires those proposing research to receive training on disclosure requirements associated with the ‘Other Support’ proposal section (NOT-OD-25-133). The purpose of this training is to clarify disclosure of “resources made available to the researcher in support of and/or related to all of their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value and regardless of whether they are based at the institution the researcher identifies for the current grant.”

• Training Method: Acknowledgement of NIH guidance documents on “Other Support” and completion of a CITI course on how to recognize undue foreign influence, understand regulatory landscape to safeguard the core values of U.S. academic research, federal funding disclosure requirements, including types of information that must be disclosed, identify types of international collaborative research and the associated potential risks, and how to balance principled international collaboration to foster an open, welcoming research environment that fulfills research security needs.
• Who: All senior/key personnel proposing research to NIH.
• Training Timeframe: Within 12 months of proposal submission.

Protection of Human Subjects:

All Furman researchers involved in “human subjects” research must complete training prior to beginning the research. Institutional Review Board (IRB) proposals will not be reviewed until and unless the researcher has obtained educational certification (see Policy 048.1 and Furman’s IRB Training webpage).

• Training Method: Completion of a CITI course for the protection of human subjects in research, which covers reading of The Belmont Report, and Responsibilities of the Investigator Prior To and After Project Approval.
• Who: All researchers doing human subjects research.
• Training Timeframe: Prior to engaging in research.

Responsible (and Ethical) Conduct of Research (RCR/RECR):

Multiple federal agencies have implemented training requirements associated with responsible conduct of research. These include:

NIH requires RCR training (NIH Notice NOT-OD-10-019) for “NIH Institutional Research Training Grants, Individual Fellowship Awards, Career Development Awards (Institutional and Individual), Research Education Grants, Dissertation Research Grants, or other grant programs with a training component that requires instruction in responsible conduct of research as noted in the Funding Opportunity Announcement.” This requirement corresponds to D43, D71, F05, F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F37, F38, K01, K02, K05, K07, K08, K12, K18, K22, K23, K24, K25, K26, K30, K99/R00, KL1, KL2, R25, R36, T15, T32, T34, T35, T36, T37, T90/R90, TL1, TU2, and U2R programs.

In accordance with America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science) Act, Section 7009, as amended, the National Science Foundation (NSF) requires RECR training for all individuals support by NSF funds.

S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) also requires RCR training for individuals supported by NIFA funds.

• Training Method: Completion of a CITI course on research misconduct, data management, authorship, peer review, mentoring and healthy research environments, using animal subjects and human subjects in research, collaborative research, and conflicts of interest and commitment.
• Who: •
  • Trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars involved in the covered NIH awards
  • Undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior/key personnel for NSF awards.
  • Program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff for USDA NIFA awards.
• Training Timeframe: Prior to engaging in research.

Research Security:

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-167) and National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33) directs federal agencies to strengthen protections of government-supported research and development against ‘foreign government interference and exploitation.’ Implementation related to research security includes certifying involvement in malign foreign talent recruitment programs as part of proposal documents specific to the researcher as well as completing required training on research security.

• Training Method: Completion of a CITI course on how to recognize undue foreign influence, understand regulatory landscape to safeguard the core values of U.S. academic research, federal funding disclosure requirements, including types of information that must be disclosed, identify types of international collaborative research and the associated potential risks, and how to balance principled international collaboration to foster an open, welcoming research environment that fulfills research security needs.
• Who: All senior/key personnel proposing research to federal agencies.
  Training Timeframe: Within 12 months of proposal submission. NIH is expected to also require annual certification as part of the
• Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR).