Effective June 7, 2025, in accordance with the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter II.D.1.e(ii), all Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) named on NSF awards made on or after May 20, 2024, must annually certify in Research.gov that they are not affiliated with a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP).

Key Details:

• Individual Certification Only: This requirement applies to PIs and Co-PIs; no organizational certification is needed.
• Prompted Upon Login: Impacted individuals will be prompted to complete the certification after signing into Research.gov..
• One Certification Per Year: PIs and Co-PIs with multiple active awards only need to certify once annually.
• View Certification Status: Completed certifications can be viewed under the Academic/Professional Information section of the Research.gov profile.
• Future Expansion: NSF plans to extend this requirement to all senior/key personnel and provide organizational access to certification records.

For details on Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) responsibilities, refer to PAPPG Chapter II.D.1.d(ix).

Additional resources, including FAQs and sample MFTRP contract language, will be available soon on the Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy website.

Under Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act (42 USC 1862o–1) and NSF PAPPG Chapter IX.B, institutions receiving NSF funding must implement a formal plan to provide training and oversight in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR).

Key Institutional Requirements:

• Training Scope: Applies to all NSF-supported undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and senior personnel across all research disciplines.
• Tailored Content: Training must be effective, discipline-appropriate, and include mentor training and mentorship components.
• Oversight: Institutions must designate one or more individuals to oversee compliance with RECR training requirements.
• Verification: Institutions are responsible for confirming that all applicable personnel have completed the required RECR training.

New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology (NMT) provides access to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) platform to fulfill NSF’s Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirements. The CITI modules offer foundational instruction across key research ethics topics and are tailored to meet NSF guidelines.

Federally/Institutionally Required CITI Training Modules

All NSF-supported researchers—including undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and senior personnel—must complete the following CITI modules:

• Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) - Curriculum selection should be based on your research:
• Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research
• Responsible Conduct of Research for Engineers
• Humanities Responsible Conduct of Research
• Physical Science Responsible Conduct of Research
• Social & Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research
• Conflict of Interest (COI) Curriculum 
• Export Control Curriculum 

To begin or update your training, visit: CITI Program Training For NM Tech Researches

NMT requires annual COI disclosures for all personnel engaged in NSF-funded research.

• Disclosure Form: Must be submitted annually during the designated fall reporting period, and promptly updated whenever a significant change occurs in the researcher’s personal interests or research-related activities. Conflict of Interest Disclosure (Annual)

Contact: Sheila O'Sullivan at coi@nmt.edu for assistance.

NSF mandates that RCR training include mentor training and mentorship ethics. NMT supports this through:

• Mentorship Module (via CITI)
• Research Ethics Series (campus-based programming)
• Contact: Dr. Lique Coolen, lique.coolen@nmt.edu

Recommended Training (Optional)

• Fostering Integrity in Research
• Sexual Harassment of Women
• Reproducibility and Replicability in Science

• NIH Research Ethics Course: Online module to be completed within 3 weeks of arrival (1 hour; tracked by the Office of Intramural Research [OIR]).
• Annual Ethics Case Studies: Institute/Center (IC)-facilitated discussions using case studies provided by the Committee on Scientific Conduct and Ethics (CSCE) (1 hour annually; tracked by IC).
• NMT CITI Training Access: NMT researchers can fulfill some NIH RCR requirements through the CITI Training platform, which offers updated modules aligned with NIH standards. Researchers are encouraged to consult the CITI curriculum for NIH-specific content and track completion accordingly.
• Funding RCR Requirements

Trainees must complete a minimum of 8 hours of RCR instruction, including at least 6 hours in the first year:

• NIH Research Ethics Course: Online module within 3 weeks of arrival (1 hour; tracked by OIR).
• Annual Ethics Case Studies: IC-facilitated case reviews (1 hour per year; tracked by IC).
• Ethics in Research Training Workshop: In-person workshop hosted by the Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE), tailored for Postbaccalaureate, Pre-doctoral, and Postdoctoral Fellows (5–6 hours; tracked by OITE).
• NMT CITI Training Access: NMT researchers can fulfill some NIH RCR requirements through the CITI Training platform, which offers updated modules aligned with NIH standards. Researchers are encouraged to consult the CITI curriculum for NIH-specific content and track completion accordingly.

New Mexico Tech supports NIH’s standards for RCR instruction by offering access to foundational training through the CITI Training platform. While online modules are a valuable supplement, NIH emphasizes that online instruction alone is not sufficient. Substantial face-to-face engagement, including didactic sessions, small-group case discussions, and active participation by research faculty, is strongly encouraged.

Recommended Instructional Format

• In-person discussions among trainees, fellows, and scholars
• Case-based learning in small groups
• Faculty-led sessions on ethical research practices

Core Subject Areas

Although NIH does not mandate a specific curriculum, effective RCR programs typically include:

• Conflict of Interest (personal, professional, financial)
• Human and Animal Research Policies and Laboratory Safety
• Mentor/Mentee Relationships
• Collaborative Research, including industry partnerships
• Peer Review Ethics
• Data Management: acquisition, sharing, ownership
• Research Misconduct: identification and reporting
• Responsible Authorship and Publication
• Societal Responsibilities of Scientists and contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research

  Instruction Duration and Frequency

  • Minimum Duration: At least 8 contact hours of substantive instruction, 4 of which must be face to face.
  • Frequency: At least once per career stage, and no less than once every four years

RCR education is essential to maintaining excellence and public trust in science and engineering. In accordance with 2 CFR Part 422, Sections 2, 3, and 8, institutions receiving USDA extramural research funding must:

• Promote a culture of research integrity
• Prevent and detect research misconduct
• Communicate and train staff on relevant policies and procedures

By accepting a NIFA award, the institution’s Authorized Representative (AR) affirms compliance with these requirements. Upon request, awardees must provide NIFA with documentation of RCR policies, procedures, and training activities.

Funding RCR Requirements

All NIFA-supported personnel must complete NMT’s Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Curriculum. Training may be delivered on-campus or off-campus and must address, at minimum, the following core areas:

• Authorship and plagiarism
• Data management and research integration
• Reporting misconduct

Researchers are encouraged to tailor training programs to meet the specific needs of their research.

NIFA grantees are advised to consider the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) or equivalent programs covering:

• Data acquisition and management (collection, accuracy, security, access)
• Authorship and publication
• Peer review
• Mentor/trainee responsibilities
• Collaboration
• Conflict of interest
• Research misconduct
• Human subjects research
• Animal research ethics

New Mexico Tech (NMT) is committed to ensuring that faculty and senior personnel supported by DOE funds receive appropriate training in the responsible conduct of research.

All individuals listed on a DOE grant application must complete the following training requirement:

• Training Module: SECURE Center Consolidated Training Module
• Endorsed by: U.S. Department of Energy
• Duration: Approximately 1 hour
• Cost: Free of charge
• Validity: Must be completed within 12 months prior to application submission

Completion of this module is mandatory for all DOE-funded researchers to ensure compliance with federal research security standards.