Re: Responsible Torrent
Raingarda Krzynowek
With more than 400 member companies, the Responsible Minerals Initiative is one of the most utilized and respected resources for companies from a range of industries addressing responsible mineral sourcing issues in their supply chains.
Greenhouse gases trap heat and make the planet warmer. Human activities are responsible for almost all of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years.1 The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.
This Notice applies to all 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.
In 1989, the NIH published its first Notice of policy concerning instruction in responsible conduct of research in the NIH Guide (Volume 18; Number 45. December 22). This Notice required that institutional training grant applications include a description of activities related to instruction about responsible conduct of research. A subsequent Notice (NOT-OD-94-200 NIH Guide Volume 23, Number 23, June 17), published in 1994, updated all previous Notices and required that applications for institutional research training grants lacking a plan for instruction in responsible conduct of research be returned without review, established review procedures, and established the minimum requirements for an acceptable plan. Similar requirements were subsequently adopted for instruction via research education grants, individual fellowships, and career awards as funding opportunity announcements for these programs were published.
In the ensuing years, there have been a number of developments related to instruction in responsible conduct of research. The scientific community has responded by developing innovative courses, workshops, research projects on instruction in responsible conduct of research, and instructional materials. Congress has enacted laws establishing the Office of Research Integrity to promote integrity in biomedical and behavioral research supported by the U.S. Public Health Service. The NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), NIH peer review committees, and the scientific communities participating in NIH research have all evolved standards for what constitutes responsible conduct of research and an acceptable plan for instruction in this area. Legislation in this area initially focused on activities that fall under the formal definition of Research Misconduct. Federal Regulations define Research Misconduct as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research or in reporting research results ( _cfr_parts_50_and_93_2005.pdf). It does not include honest error or honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data. However, it is well appreciated by all that responsible conduct, as opposed to misconduct, encompasses many other aspects of ethical behavior in the practice of scientific research.
The practice of biomedical research continues to evolve in terms of the interaction of participants (team research) and participating disciplines, emerging technologies in both the laboratory and in the publishing arena, and in the interactions of academic, medical, and for-profit enterprises. Acknowledging these changes, and drawing on the experiences of the past two decades, this Notice clarifies and updates NIH policy on instruction in responsible conduct of research.
For the purpose of this Notice, responsible conduct of research is defined as the practice of scientific investigation with integrity. It involves the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research.
NIH requires that all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, and dissertation research grant must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research. This policy will take effect with all new and renewal applications submitted on or after January 25, 2010, and for all continuation (Type 5) applications with deadlines on or after January 1, 2011. This Notice 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. This policy also applies to any other NIH-funded programs supporting research training, career development, or research education that require instruction in responsible conduct of research as stated in the relevant funding opportunity announcements.
NIH recognizes that instruction in responsible conduct of research occurs formally and informally in educational settings and that informal instruction occurs throughout the research training experience. The guidance provided below is directed at formal instruction in responsible conduct of research. It reflects the accumulated experiences and the best practices of the scientific community over the past two decades. These practices have been incorporated into many of the best regarded programs of instruction in responsible conduct of research.
While courses related to professional ethics, ethical issues in clinical research, or research involving vertebrate animals may form a part of instruction in responsible conduct of research, they generally are not sufficient to cover all of the above topics. Additional detail regarding subject matter is available under Resources.
Institutional training and institutional career development programs (for example, T15, T32, T34, T90/R90, TL1, K12, or K30 programs): Institutional programs are encouraged to provide instruction in responsible conduct of research for all individuals associated with the program of training regardless of their source of support.
Short-term training and research education programs (for example, T35 and R25 programs lasting six or fewer months, short-term trainees supported on T15, T32 and T34 programs, and short-term participants in R25 programs): The NIH recognizes that the duration of an institutional training or research education program should be considered in the design, implementation, and review of plans for instruction in responsible conduct of research. The duration of such instruction within short-term institutional programs should be appropriate for the total duration of the program and should be justified in the application. This is an instance where on-line instruction could be appropriate. Such programs may also use innovative strategies to incorporate instruction in responsible conduct of research and to relate instruction in responsible conduct of research to the scientific focus of the short-term program.
Individual awards: In keeping with the individual nature of these programs, fellows and scholars, along with their institutions and sponsors/mentors, are encouraged to tailor instruction in responsible conduct of research to the needs of the individual. Thus, instruction may go beyond formal institutional courses and provide opportunities for the individual to develop their own scholarly understanding of the ethical issues associated with their research activities and their impact on society. An individualized plan would also be appropriate in the rare instance where an institution does not have an established formal mechanism for such instruction.
Continuation (Type 5) applications must describe the nature of the instruction in responsible conduct of research and the extent of trainee and faculty participation as required in the PHS 2590. This report must include a description of any enhancements and/or modifications to the five instructional components from the plan described in the awarded application. Specific training faculty members who were contributors to formal instruction in responsible conduct of research during the last budget period must be named.
Continuation (Type 5) applications must report specifically on instruction for the fellow in responsible conduct of research. This report must include subject matter covered, format, frequency and duration of instruction, or indicate when during a previous or future budget period instruction in responsible conduct of research did or will take place. The report should discuss both formal and/or informal instruction in responsible conduct of research and should note the extent to which the sponsor or senior fellow participated in these activities.
Continuation (Type 5) applications must include a description of instruction in responsible conduct of research as required in the PHS 2590. This report should describe instruction, or participation as a course director, etc. in the case of senior career awardees, in both formal and informal instruction in responsible conduct of research in the past budget period, if applicable. If instruction, or participation as a course director, etc., occurred in a prior budget period, the PI should note the date of occurrence. Any activities undertaken to individualize instruction appropriate to the career stage of the PI should be discussed.
Continuation (Type 5) applications must report on instruction in responsible conduct of research under a separate heading. This section should describe participation in both formal and informal instruction in responsible conduct of research in the past budget period, where applicable. If instruction occurred in a prior budget period, the PI should note the date when formal instruction was last completed. Any activities undertaken to individualize instruction appropriate to the career stage of the PI should be discussed. The report will describe how the mentor participated in these activities.
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