Responsible Conduct of Research
The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Plan involves the education and mentorship of faculty, staff, and students involved in projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Public Health Service (PHS) at VSU.
All are required to take the RCR modules provided by the CITI program. These modules are research-area specific and are accessed via www.citiprogram.org. Investigators at Virginia State University (VSU) should register online at the latter site and associate themselves with VSU. Compliance with this research education requirement will be monitored by OSRP.
Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) Compliance
This policy has been created to ensure compliance with the latest Public Health Service (PHS) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) FCOI regulations, 42 CFR Part 50 Subpart F-Promoting Objectivity in Research,as well as the National Science Foundation’s conflict of interest policies for promoting objectivity in research. It is now mandatory that all Investigators disclose their Significant Financial Interests (SFIs) by completing the Financial Interests Report Form.
Timing of the Financial Interest Reports:
- Before an Investigator begins activities funded by any federal agency.
- Before an Investigator submits a proposal to any federal agency.
- Within 30 days of an Investigator’s initial employment or appointment at VSU.
- All Investigators must submit a disclosure report at least annually.
- Within 30 days of discovering or acquiring an SFI, all Investigators must submit a Financial Interests Report.
Where To Send The Financial Interest Report
Send a completed and signed original to OSRP in care of Daniel Stoelting, P.O. Box 9407 or a scanned image sent via your VSU email address to dstoelting@vsu.edu
Conflicts Of Interest (COI) Training
Investigators who are submitting proposals to or actively involved in a project sponsored by a US Public Health Service (PHS) agency such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are required to complete the COI course offered by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program and at least every four years thereafter. This course is also highly recommended for other Investigators proposing to or working on non-PHS programs. The course must also be taken within a reasonable period of time if the VSU Policy changes, the Investigator is new to the institution, or if it is determined that an Investigator has not complied with this Policy or a SFI management plan related to their activities.
To take the CITI course go to www.citiprogram.org and create an account, if necessary. After logging in to your account link or affiliate it to VSU. Next follow the instructions to add the COI curriculum to your course list.
Enforcement In The Event Of Non-compliance
If an Investigator fails to submit a Financial Interests Report and/or take the required COI training the associated proposal submission will be delayed until compliance is achieved. This could jeopardize the timely submission of the proposal. For non-compliance related to an active federally-funded project, enforcement could involve suspension of project activities until the issue is resolved.