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Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) Training Required for USDA-NIFA Awardees

The US Department of Agriculture implemented a new regulation in February, 2013 requiring all employees (PIs, Co-PIs, undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and sub-recipients) on National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awards to have appropriate training in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).  PIs of currently active NIFA awards and all others employed on this award must complete required RCR training.

UGA uses an on-line RCR training program we implemented in 2010 to meet similar National Science Foundation (NSF) regulations pertaining to RCR training for grant employees.  This system, called the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI), is also the same online system used by the Human Subjects Office to meet the federal training requirements regarding use of human subjects in research.

This training needs only be taken once.  Anyone currently employed on a NIFA award who might have previously worked on an NSF award since 2010 does not have to re-take RCR training.

The link to enter UGA’s RCR training module is https://paul.ovpr.uga.edu/CITI/ .  More information about this requirement, CITI, and your options for taking this training can be found at https://ovpr.uga.edu/rcr/.  Please contact Maryann Deom (mtd@uga.edu or 2-8808) if you have any questions about your obligations under NIFA regulations.