Conflicts of Interest (COI) Training

Research Security Training (RST)

A new Research Security Training (RST) requirement is being implemented by the University of Hawaiʻi, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI). This training is mandatory and applies to all senior/key personnel on extramural proposals and awards.

As a recipient of federal funding, the University is required to develop a Research Security Program designed to ensure the security and integrity of federally-funded research. This training is part of the overall program and meets the latest training requirements from several federal sponsors, including the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The training has two parts. The first part consists of a one-hour condensed RST module designed to meet the federal government-wide requirement in Section 10634 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. § 19234). To that end, NSF, NIH, DOE, and the Department of Defense (DoD) all recognize completion of the condensed module as compliant with their respective RST requirements.

The second part of the training is UH-specific information on how to complete your internal and external conflicts of interest and commitment disclosure requirements, which is a key part of ensuring research integrity.

Click here to access RST in Lamaku.

FAQs

c Expand All C Collapse All
a

How Do I Complete the Training?

The training is completed through UH Lamakū.

Click here to download instructions on how to access the training.

a

What is the Deadline and How Often is Training Required?

The general deadline for completion of Research Security Training is January 25, 2026 unless you are involved in a proposal to the DOE, NIH, or NSF.

Beginning with the deadlines below, senior/key personnel named in DOE, NIH, and/or NSF proposals, RST must be completed within the last 12 months BEFORE PROPOSAL SUBMISSION:

  • Department of Energy: May 1, 2025
  • National Science Foundation: October 10, 2025
  • National Institutes of Health: January 25, 2026

This new training must be completed on an annual basis and it replaces the prior Extramural Disclosure Training (EDT) that was required before submission of your Conflicts of Interest (COI) disclosure form in the UH rCOI system.

a

Who Needs to Complete the Training?

This new requirement applies to all UH and RCUH employees named as Principal Investigators, Co-Investigators, and/or Senior/Key Personnel on extramural proposals and awards.

If you have questions about the content of the training (for example, understanding the disclosure requirements), please send an email to coi@hawaii.edu.

Mandatory COI Training for PHS-funded Investigators

Per University of Hawaii APM A5.504 and AP 12.304, all Public Health Service (PHS)-funded investigators must complete the online CITI UH Conflict of Interest (COI) Training Course prior to engaging in any extramurally-funded activities or expending any extramural funds, including non-competing continuation awards. This applies to all new PHS-sponsored research projects or an investigator who is new to UH. Training must be completed at least every four years or whenever UH revises its policy(ies).

How to access the CITI Program for UH

  1. Go the CITI Program website, and log in through the UH single-sign-on dialog. If you already have a CITI account, you will be taken to your member Welcome page. If you do not already have a CITI account, continue to step 2.
  2. Scroll through the list of organizations, find and select University of Hawaii.
    • IMPORTANT: Be sure to register through the University of Hawaii affiliation to avoid registration fees.
  3. Follow the prompts to create your account.

Selecting the COI course in CITI

  1. On the My Courses tab in the Institutional Courses section, click the View Courses button next to University of Hawaii.
  2. Select the Add a Course button. Or you may also find it in the Learner Tools for University of Hawaii section.
  3. On the Select Curriculum screen, “Question 1 – Do you conduct research in any of the following settings? (This question is required. Choose all that apply.)” Check off the box for Conflict of Interest (COI) and click the Next button.
  4. A confirmation message “You are now enrolled in the course(s) you selected” will be displayed on the My Courses tab.
  5. In the Courses Ready to Begin section, you will find the newly added COI course. Click the Start Now button to begin the COI training.

The CITI COI course may take 2 or more hours to complete. CITI keeps track of your progress allowing you to complete the course over several sessions.

For questions regarding COI, email coi@hawaii.edu.

 

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training