NSF Awards

NSF Requirement for Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research

In August of 2009, NSF announced that all applicant institutions are required to have a plan in place to provide appropriate training and oversight in the ethical and responsible conduct of research (RCR) to all undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows who receive salary or stipend support from awards associated with NSF applications submitted on or after January 4, 2010.听

In July of 2023, the policy was updated to indicate that principal investigators of NSF-funded projects must also receive RCR training.

NSF also requires all institutions to track and verify completion of RCR education for each trainee supported by NSF grant funds.

NSF does not specify the format, content or other details regarding the delivery of RCR education.听Rather, NSF allows the institution to determine the appropriate RCR educational needs based on the individual鈥檚 stage of training, research responsibilities and discipline.

Details as to the NSF statutory requirement, institutional and principal investigator responsibilities, most frequently asked questions (FAQ), and related information can be found at and related links. Note that exceptions to this requirement include NSF awards made solely for the support of conferences, symposia, workshops or travel.

CU听91福利社 Plan for Meeting NSF Requirements

All CU听91福利社 research trainees or student employees supported by NSF grant funds can meet NSF requirements in one of three ways:

  1. Complete the online course offered by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). See instructions.
  2. Complete an interactive classroom-based course offered by various departments on the CU听91福利社 or UC Denver Anschutz Medical campus. Students are required to take the course for credit and achieve a grade of B or higher. Postdocs may audit the course and request a letter of certification from the instructor. See available courses.
  3. Complete the RCR course offered in the fall semester each year that is specifically designed to meet the NSF and NIH RCR requirement. Contact th