USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture RCR Training

  1. Compliance & Safety
  2. Research Integrity and Ethics
  3. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture RCR Training
  4. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture RCR Training

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) requires all individuals supported on USDA-NIFA funds to receive education in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research.  The University's Institutional Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Plan is structured to meet the requirements of USDA-NIFA. 

USDA–NIFA RCR Training FAQs

What are the USDA-NIFA requirements for RCR training?
As a recipient of USDA-NIFA sponsored research funds, the University "must foster an atmosphere conducive to research integrity, bear primary responsibility for prevention and detection of research misconduct, and maintain and effectively communicate and train their staff regarding policies and procedures." USDA-NIFA specifies that this "ethics training will, at a minimum, emphasize three key areas of research ethics: authorship and plagiarism, data and research integration, and reporting misconduct" (Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research, 28 August 2024).

Who needs RCR training?
The University requires RCR training of all individuals supported on USDA-NIFA sponsored research funds. 

What are the responsibilities of Principal Investigators (PIs)?
Principal Investigators (PIs) are responsible to ensure RCR education is completed and documented for individuals paid on USDA-NIFA sponsored research funds (CAM RP-06).

When should RCR training take place?
The University's Institutional RCR Plan states that RCR training should ideally completed within 30 days of appointment to USDA-NIFA sponsored research funds and should be repeated or refreshed no less often than once every three years. Note that the requirements for Research Security Training have different timelines. 

What topics should RCR training cover?

As part of its RCR Program, the University's Institutional RCR Plan encourages that all individuals involved in research or appointed to sponsored research funds receive a comprehensive education which includes, at a minimum, the Core Topics specified by federal agencies. These topics include those specified by USDA-NIFA: 

  • Authorship and Plagiarism
  • Data and Research Integration
  • Reporting Misconduct

PIs are encouraged to suggest additional educational opportunities, professional development, and team discussions of integrity-related issues that are relevant to their team's research. 

How should RCR training be delivered?

The RCR training required by USDA-NIFA can be completed online via one of the module options available in the OVCRI Training Portal's Online RCR Training site at https://go.illinois.edu/Online-RCR.

Individual departments and PIs are permitted to provide their own RCR training which includes, at a minimum, the topics listed under What topics should RCR training cover. Such training may include ethics seminars or rostered courses offered by departments and schools.  

How should RCR training be documented?

Training requirements for individuals paid on USDA-NIFA funds are automatically assigned in the OVCRI Training Portal, where completion of training is also recorded. PIs and individuals who have not completed RCR training requirements receive an automated email reminder each month.

PIs can view the RCR training completion status for individuals and manually document training provided via the OVCRI's RCR Reporting System, which is only accessible to PIs and assigned delegates. PIs may delegate one or more staff members to access the OVCRI's RCR Reporting System to view completion status, receive reminders, and document training completion.  

What if I have additional questions? 
Contact OVCRI at rcrtraining@illinois.edu. 

Updated 19 August 2025