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
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.
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: May 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.
The training is completed through UH Lamakū.
Click here to download instructions on how to access the training.
ORS Contracts & Grants Certification Program
The ORS Contracts and Grants Certification Program is a continuing education program created to assist the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) research community to better understand the extramural proposal and award process at UH. The program was formerly a hybrid of in-person classes and online courses, but as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been converted to be fully accessible online. To access the course, go to Laulima (laulima.hawaii.edu), then “Membership”, and look for “ORS Certification”. If you do not see it in your Laulima profile, please submit an ORS ticket at http://go.hawaii.edu/eVP, and select the “Certification Program — Request Access” ticket type.
The following are the topics covered in the program:
- Certification Program and Research Administration Overview
- Contracts and Grants
- Extramural Project Accounting
- Financial & Administrative Compliance and Subawards
- Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi (RCUH) Finance
- RCUH Human Resources Process for UH Project Accounts
- Research Compliance and Risk Management
The program is best understood when modules are taken in order, but any module may be accessed for refresher purposes at any time.
Modules 2 through 7 are broken into sections, and each section has its own assessment. A certificate of completion can be issued upon request if you complete and pass all assessments with a score of 80% or higher. Assessment scores are good for one (1) year.
To request a certificate of completion, please submit an ORS ticket at http://go.hawaii.edu/eVP, and select the “Certification Program — Issue Certificate” ticket type.
If you run into any problems with the online program, please submit an ORS ticket at http://go.hawaii.edu/eVP, and use the “Other Issue” ticket type to report the issue.
UH Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR Plan)
General Information
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is required by certain federal sponsors, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Refer to the UH Institutional Plan for RCR Training for details on which types of federal awards require RCR training and who must complete the training.
In order to meet the RCR training requirement, UH utilizes the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program. RCR training through CITI must be completed at least once and should be done within 30 days of hire or project involvement. After completing the online CITI RCR course, the participant will be issued a completion report from CITI. Please maintain records of your RCR course completion.
How to access the CITI Program for UH
- 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 don’t already have a CITI account, continue to step 2.
- Scroll through the list of organizations, find and select University of Hawai‘i.
- IMPORTANT: Be sure to register through the University of Hawai‘i affiliation to avoid registration fees.
- Follow the prompts to create your account.
The CITI RCR course may take 4 or more hours to complete. CITI keeps track of your progress allowing you to complete the course over several sessions. It is strongly recommended that you utilize all the tools available, such as the video clips, case studies and elective modules. These tools provide a great deal of information regarding research integrity and research best practices.
For questions regarding RCR, email uhrcr@hawaii.edu.
For training requests, please submit an ORS ticket at http://go.hawaii.edu/eVP.