Research on research integrity. (Fellowships, Grants, & Awards).

The Office of Research Integrity, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute of Nursing Research invite applications to support research on research integrity. Research integrity is a vital component of both the reliability of the research record and the trust that underlies public support for research. Therefore, the responsible expenditure of public funds for research must include attention to research integrity. The purpose of the proposed grant program is to foster empirical research on the institutions, processes, and values that affect integrity in research. The sponsoring agencies are particularly interested in studies that will inform policy making at the Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH, and research institutions, with the goal of fostering appropriate attention to integrity in publicly funded research programs.

This request for applications seeks to address the need for more and better information on the factors that encourage and/or discourage integrity in publicly funded research. For our purposes, research is defined broadly to include societal, institutional, and individual aspects of the enterprise. Integrity is understood as adherence to rules, regulations, guidelines, and commonly accepted professional codes or norms. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals that will provide generalizable empirical knowledge about the ways in which researchers and research institutions meet or fail to meet their professional responsibilities in the conduct, evaluation, and reporting of research. Particular areas of interest include but are not limited to 1) research norms and/or practices, 2) institutional climate and responsibility, 3) education on the responsible conduct of research, 4) mentor/trainee relationships, 5) data acquisition, management, sharing, and ownership, 6) responsible authorship, 7) integrity of publication practices and the research record, 8) research collaborations and issues that may arise from such collaborations, 9) conflicts of interest, and 10) the meaning of research misconduct and the regulations, policies, and guidelines that govern research misconduct in Public Health Service--funded institutions.

Applicants should use the NIH individual research project grant (R01) award mechanism. Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent by 15

October 2001, with final applications due 19 November 2001. More information is available on the Internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ guide/rfa-files/RFA-NS-02-005.html.

Contact: Mary. D. Scheetz, Division of Education & Integrity, ORI, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 700, Rockville, MD 20852 USA, 301-4435302, e-mail: [e-mail]; Mary Ellen Cheung, Neuroscience Center, NINDS, Room 2209, MSC 9525, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20892-9525 USA, 301-496-1447, email: [e-mail]; Karin Helmers, Office of Extramural Programs, NINR, Building 45, Room 3AN12, MSC 6300, Bethesda, MD 20892-6300 USA, 301-594-2177, fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Reference: RFA No. RFA-NS-02-005