As a reminder, effective October 1, 2025, NIH previously relayed a requirement to train Senior/Key Personnel on Other Support Disclosure requirements per the July 17, 2025 notice .

For current information on research security training requirements, please visit Training for Research Security.

This change applies to new and three-year renewal protocols submitted to 91¸£Àû and subsequently ACURO on or after January 1, 2026.

For new Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols with DoD funding submitted after January 1, 2026, submit them separately from protocols funded by other sources.

A new webpage on the 91¸£Àû IACUC website has been created as a permanent resource for this information.

This edition includes the following topics:

• Spotlight: Updates on Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Research
• Reminder: Research Security Training
• Human Subjects Research: NIH (National Institutes of Health) Reminder of Requirement for Certification of IRB Approval
• New & Updated Compliance Resources
• Research Compliance in the News

 to receive future newsletters directly in your email inbox.

Undergraduate students who are participating in research sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and/or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) are required to complete this training. Students who complete the training will receive a certificate of completion valid for four years. Faculty sponsors and principal investigators of such research should ensure that any participating undergraduate students have completed this training.

More information and an enrollment link are available at Undergraduate Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training.

We are writing to inform you about an important policy update. Last fall the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) issued a  to update and modernize the 2005 Public Health Service (PHS) Policies on Research Misconduct (Final Rule); institutions that receive PHS funds must have updated policies in place by January 1, 2026.

The Office of Research Compliance (ORC) worked with the Office of General Counsel to review and update 91¸£Àû’s Policy and Procedures for Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct (Word) to comply with the Final Rule. Key revisions are highlighted below:

• A number of new and revised definitions; of particular note – a significantly revised definition for ‘Plagiarism’ which specifically excludes self-plagiarism and authorship or credit disputes.
• Deletion of the Rights & Responsibilities section previously identified as confusing due to it repeating process information contained elsewhere in the policy.
• Confidentiality section revised to align with PHS regulation including expansion upon ‘need to know’.
• Maximum timeline for Inquiry & Investigation extended to 120 and 180 days respectively (now also align with National Science Foundation requirements).
• Significant revisions to Inquiry Report Contents, Investigation Process & Investigation Report Elements. Of note: Per the Final Rule, Respondents must be provided access to all transcripts of transcribed interviews, with redactions as appropriate to maintain confidentiality.

We as an institution are deeply committed to fostering an environment in which the highest ethical standards in the conduct of research and other scholarly activities are maintained. We encourage all faculty, staff and students to review this updated policy, and we welcome your questions, comments and feedback.

ORC will be developing educational resources about the revised Policy and will be hosting training sessions; a communication about these training sessions will be sent in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the Policy and additional educational materials are available on the Research Misconduct section of the ORC website.

Please contact 91¸£Àû’s Director of Research Compliance, Amanda Ashe (amanda.l.ashe@maine.edu), with any questions you may have regarding these changes or any feedback you wish to provide.

This edition includes the following topics:

• Research Security Training Requirements
• Safeguarding Academia Bulletin
• Human Subjects News
  • IRB Policy Updates
  • Coming Soon: Cayuse
• NIH Notice on Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• New & Updated Compliance Resources
• Research Compliance in the News

 to receive future newsletters directly in your email inbox.

All members of the research community are encouraged to review the bulletin and the companion resource,  to better understand how promoting a research ecosystem that balances openness, collaboration, integrity, fairness, responsibility, and security can help protect your research and help ensure the U.S. can protect its scientific enterprise. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF)  includes a requirement for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training (referred to by NSF as “Responsible & Ethical Conduct of Research”) to address research security, export compliance, and federal disclosure and reporting requirements. The Office of Research Compliance (ORC) has updated the resource RCR Training Requirements to reflect this regulatory update from NSF with guidance about how NSF supported personnel who complete RCR training after October 10, 2025 can meet NSF’s revised RCR training requirements; a summary is provided below:

• Undergraduate Students – ORC has incorporated these topics into Undergraduate RCR Courses; no additional action beyond completion of RCR training is required.
• Graduate Students – Graduate Students supported by NSF to conduct research must complete supplemental training in Research Security in CITI in addition to appropriate RCR training to fully satisfy NSF requirements.
• Post Doctoral Researchers, Faculty & Staff – Faculty, Post-Doctoral Researchers, and other senior/key personnel will typically meet the definition of ‘Covered Individuals’ and thus will be subject to various federal agency requirements to complete Research Security training annually.ÌýProvided they have an active Research Security training certificate at the time of completing RCR training – they will have met NSF’s requirements; all others must complete Research Security training to fully satisfy NSF’s RCR requirements.

For more information about how to access the Research Security course, please visit Research Security Training.

Questions about RCR training requirements can be directed to ORC via email to umric@maine.edu.

Undergraduate students who are participating in research sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and/or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) are required to complete this training. Students who complete the training will receive a certificate of completion valid for four years. Faculty sponsors and principal investigators of such research should ensure that any participating undergraduate students have completed this training.

More information and an enrollment link are available at Undergraduate Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training.

This communication is a follow up to the April 17, 2025 notice about a new Research Security Training Requirement implemented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in response to U.S. federal regulations such as  and the security-related provisions under the .Ìý

• On July 8, 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicating this training requirement will appear in all new research and development (R&D) or science and technology (S&T) awards.Ìý
• In a , the National Science Foundation (NSF) confirmed the training requirement goes into effect on October 10, 2025.
• In a the National Institutes of Health (NIH) relayed a requirement to Train Senior/Key Personnel on Other Support Disclosure requirements which goes into effect on October 1^stÌýÌý
• Ultimately all federal funders will soon require annual research security training, and it is anticipated that research security training will be required prior to proposal submission.

In order to ensure compliance with both current and forthcoming agency-required research security training requirements, we highly encourage all Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators (i.e. Senior/Key Personnel) involved in federal funding, in particular those planning to submit proposals to federal agencies, to complete Research Security training by October 1^st or soon thereafter to avoid delays at the proposal stage.  (Note: This training requirement is already in effect for DOE proposals and may be required prior to October 1^st if it is included as a requirement in the proposal instructions).  Training will take approximately 1 hour to complete. For more information about the training requirement, including directions to access this training and who to contact for questions, please review the resource Research Security Training.