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NSF Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) Training

As of July 31, 2023, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior staff who are supported by new NSF research projects will be required to complete Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) training. For NSF proposals involving science or engineering research/education, the sponsor requires that there is a description in the grant proposal that describes appropriate training and oversight. Researchers should include the following statement in the facilities, equipment and other resources section of the proposal:  

  • "Duke University will adhere to the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research training plan articulated in Duke’s RCR Program website for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel who will be supported by NSF."

All Duke researchers required to take NSF RECR training must complete an online, self-guided LMS training. This course will also fulfill the 100-level Duke Faculty and Staff RCR training requirement, which is a separate university-level requirement. Researchers will be notified by email if they are required to complete NSF RECR training. The training statuses will also display on the “Disclosures & Training” section on the myRESEARCHhome dashboard. Completions may take a day or two to be reflected here.

Please reach out to us as asist@duke.edu with any questions relating to this federal training requirement.

Click here to register for and launch the NSF RECR LMS Training

NSF Senior/Key Personnel

In addition to the NSF RECR LMS training, NSF senior/key personnel at Duke are required to complete an interactive RCR training that includes a mentorship component. A list of upcoming eligible events can be found here.

Currently, the Foundational Mentor Training offered the Office of Faculty Development and events organized by ASIST with a mentorship component are the only trainings which fulfill the interactive NSF RECR training requirement. Eligible ASIST events will list that they fulfill the NSF RECR training requirement in the event description. Please reach out to asist@duke.edu with any questions about event eligibility.

If you are interested in another Duke event that covers RECR topics including mentorship, please email asist@duke.edu to inquire about whether the event can be made eligible. Please note that non-ASIST events must be approved in advance.