RCR Certificate Program

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• General Program Information
• National Institutes of Health RCR Certificate
• National Science Foundation RCR Certificate
• National Institute of Food and Agriculture RCR Certificate

The University of Arizona offers certificates to acknowledge fulfillment of responsible conduct of research (RCR) training requirements set forth by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Details regarding each certificate can be found below.

General Program Information

Program Registration and Workshop Enrollment

• Please follow instructions below to register for the certificate program you wish to complete. All records of RCR training are centrally maintained by Research Training Services within EDGE Learning.

Certificate Completion and Renewal Timeframe

• The National Science Foundation (NSF) RCR Certificate is fully online and must be completed within 30 days of the Notice of the Award date or the date that you begin working on an eligible project. Senior faculty and senior personnel on the project only need to complete the certificate once. Renewal is required for assistant/associate faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students at each stage of their career advancement.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) RCR Certificate must be initiated within 30 days of the Notice of Award date or the date that you begin working on an eligible research project. Once you register for the program, you have one calendar year to complete the certification. The NIH RCR certificate is good for three (3) years, at which point you have one calendar year to renew the certificate. Renewal is only required if you still fall under the federal RCR requirements. 
• The National Institutes of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) RCR Certificate must be initiated within 30 days of the Notice of Award date or the date you begin working on an eligible project. The certification must be completed within one calendar year from the initiation date.

Tracking and Verification of Training

• Principal Investigators are responsible for ensuring that all relevant persons associated with an RCR-eligible award complete the appropriate RCR certificate as described below.
• Individuals should keep documentation of the training they receive, including all workshops and face-to-face discussions with faculty mentors.
• A centralized record of completed training will be kept in EDGE Learning.

RCR Workshop Attendance Policy

• To receive credit for completing an RCR workshop, you must arrive on time and be present for the full duration of the workshop. 

National Institutes of Health RCR Certificate

The NIH RCR Certificate is issued by the University of Arizona's Research, Innovation & Impact and acknowledges completion of the minimum number of training hours and RCR subject areas recommended by NIH. 

Who is Required to Complete the NIH Certificate?
NIH requires all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars supported by NIH training grants, career development awards, and dissertation research grants to receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. The requirement applies to the following programs: 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. Other NIH-funded programs may also require instruction in responsible conduct of research, and will clearly state this requirement in the relevant funding opportunity announcements. View the complete NIH RCR policy for more details.

Completing the NIH Certificate, Option 1: Workshop Curriculum

1. Complete the online CITI RCR Training.
2. Select and attend at least five (5) Elective workshops from the RCR workshop series.
3. Complete all requirements within one calendar year (365 days), then register in the NIH RCR Certification through EDGE Learning.

Completing the NIH Certificate, Option 2: Course for Academic Credit
If you enroll in a course for academic credit that devotes sufficient class time to RCR topics, you can earn the NIH RCR Certificate simply by attending class and completing the course with a passing grade. Generally, the faculty instructor of qualifying courses will already be in touch with the Responsible Conduct of Research Program to ensure that you get credit at the end of the semester, but if you're unsure, please contact the RCR Program directly at Research-Training@email.arizona.edu.

• Academic Courses that Receive RCR Credit: SLHS 649 - Survival Skills and Ethics | Chem 595B - Professional Development | CMM/MCB 695E - Science, Society and Ethics | CBIO 595B - Scientific Writing, Presentation, and Bioethics

Contact Hours Required
The University of Arizona requires a minimum of nine (9) hours of RCR instruction to complete; however, more hours are encouraged.

Instructional Format
NIH and the University of Arizona require NIH-funded scholars, trainees, and fellows to participate in RCR education that is instructor-led and involves face-to-face discussion. The only exception to this is the core requirement of the workshop curriculum, which may be completed online. 

National Science Foundation RCR Certificate

The NSF RCR Certificate is issued by the University of Arizona's Research, Innovation & Impact and acknowledges completion of the RCR education guidelines set forth by NSF. 

Who is Required to Complete the NSF Certificate?
NSF requires all faculty, senior leadership, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students funded through an NSF grant to receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. View the complete NSF RCR policy for more details.

Completing the NSF Certificate, Option 1: Self Paced Online Curriculum

Register in the NSF RCR Certificate and you'll be automatically enrolled in the two required trainings:

1. Complete RCR training through the CITI Program learning system. The training is self paced and can be completed in multiple sessions. Approximate completion time is 1.5-2 hours. CITI completion transcripts will appear in UA's EDGE Learning system within 24 hours.
2. Complete the Mentor Institute's Training Level 1 through the UA's EDGE Learning system. the training is self pace and can be completed in multiple sessions. Approximate completion time is 1.5 hours. 

Completing the NSF Certificate, Option 2: Course for Academic Credit
If you enroll in a course for academic credit that devotes sufficient class time to RCR topics, you can earn the NSF RCR Certificate simply by attending class and completing the course with a passing grade. Generally, the faculty instructor of qualifying courses will already be in touch with the Responsible Conduct of Research Program to ensure that you get credit at the end of the semester, but if you're unsure, please contact the RCR Program directly at Research-Training@email.arizona.edu.

National Institute of Food and Agriculture RCR Certificate

The NIFA RCR Certificate is issued by the University of Arizona's Research, Innovation & Impact and acknowledges completion of the RCR education guidelines set forth by NIFA. 

Who is Required to Complete the NIFA Certificate?
NIFA requires that all program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in a research project funded by NIFA receive RCR training. Documentation of the training is subject to review by NIFA upon request. For the complete RCR policy, please see Article 7 of NIFA's research terms and conditions.

Earning the Certificate
UA offers the NIFA RCR Certificate to acknowledge the fulfillment of the NIFA requirement. The certificate may be earned online through EDGE Learning by completing the CITI RCR Training.

Register for the NIFA RCR Certificate program by following these steps:

Select this link and log into the EDGE Learning system with your NetID and password. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete registration.