Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research
Background
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) takes seriously its obligation to implement best practices in research and research education. The Office of Research Integrity supports researchers in complying with Congressional mandates to provide education in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) to researchers and trainees supported by federal awards. The RECR Institutional Plan has been developed to clarify the training requirements and processes set forth by UTC.
Applicability
RECR training is available to everyone at UTC, and all members of the UTC research community are encouraged to complete the training. However, RECR training is mandatory for individuals receiving support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute on Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). For NSF and USDA NIFA awards, the requirement applies to all faculty, senior personnel, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students who receive salary, stipend, scholarship, or tuition remission support to conduct research. NIH requirements apply to trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars on NIH training, career development, research education, and dissertation grants. Please see the relevant requirements page below for full details. Please contact the Office of Research Integrity for guidance if you are developing a proposal for submission to USDA NIFA or a training grant proposal for submission to NIH.
For more information about NSF RECR training requirements, please see the page RECR Requirements for NSF-Funded Personnel.
For more information about USDA RECR training requirements, please see the page RECR Requirements for USDA NIFA Awardees. For more information about NIH RCR training requirements, please see the page RECR Requirements for NIH-Funded Researchers.
Research Security Training: Effective May 2024, NSF requires that institutional RECR programs address research security. All NSF and USDA NIFA-funded personnel are required to complete training on cybersecurity threats to research, international collaboration risks, foreign interference in research, and federal export control and disclosure requirements. See the RECR Training Resources page for available courses.
Contact
For more information on the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research at UTC, please contact:
Brandon Williams, M.S.
Research Integrity Compliance Officer
Office of Research Integrity
UTC, Dept. 4915
109 Race Hall
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598
423-425-1232
[email protected]