Updates and News
Research Compliance
Fall 2026
Summary of Required Trainings for Federal Grants
Research Security: All WWU PIs engaged in federally funded research must have a valid training certificate on file before proposal submission, and all researchers are responsible for ensuring their certification is up-to-date and current throughout the duration of the research project. Research Security Training is required every 12 months for all federal awards. After the initial training is completed a refresher course will be required to maintain compliance with the terms of your grant. Read more about Research Security Training (includes FAQs).
Financial Conflict of Interest: WWU requires all investigators participating in, or applying for, federally sponsored funding to complete conflict of interest training prior proposal submission. Investigators participating in federally funded projects are required to complete general FCOI training through CITI. Investigators participating in Public Health Service (PHS) sponsored projects are required to complete PHS specific COI training. VPR staff will verify completion by senior/key personnel at the time an award and prior to the expenditure of funds and when award extensions are made. Read more about FCOI training (includes FAQs and next steps).
Responsible Conduct of Research: WWU and certain federal agencies require individuals (including student research assistants) engaged in federally funded research projects to complete formal Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training. PIs and department staff, please remind personnel to complete RCR training within 60 days of accepting a position on a federal research grant. Read more about RCR training (includes FAQs and how to register for the training).
Required Conflict of Interest Disclosures
Federal regulations and university policy outline conflict of interest disclosure requirements for faculty and staff involved in the design, conduct, or reporting of research. Completion of required forms allow WWU to determine whether a Significant Interest (SFI) constitutes a conflict of interest and requires a management plan. Read more about the disclosure process (includes responsibilities by role, questions to expect, FAQs, etc.).
Fall 2025
Over the summer NIH issued many notices of policy changes relevant to upcoming submissions and funded proposals. The full list of policy changes is available on the NIH website.
- Effective 9/25/2025 Supporting Fairness and Originality in NIH Research Applications (NOT-OD-25-132): Guidance about the appropriate usage of artificial intelligence (AI). NIH will instituting a new policy effective 9/25/2025 limiting the number of applications that NIH will consider per Principal Investigator per calendar year to six (new, renewal, resubmission or revision applications).
- Effective 10/1/2025 Requirement to Train Senior/Key Personnel on Other Support Disclosure Requirements (NOT-OD-133): All faculty and researchers identified as Senior/Key Personnel on the requirement to disclose all research activities and affiliations (active and pending) in Other Support (see Other Support form). The new requirement to train researchers to comply with other support disclosure requirements adds to the current policy (see NIH Grants Policy Statement (GPS), Section 2.5.1 "Just-in-Time Procedures") in order to provide a comprehensive plan in the area of disclosure requirements for recipients. More information about WWU's training plans will be shared soon.
- Updated Implementation Guidance of NIH Policy on Foreign Subawards for Active Projects (NOT-OD-25-130): NIH will not issue awards to domestic or foreign entities (new, renewal, or non-competing continuation) that include a subaward to a foreign entity.
- WWU Research Compliance staff will continue to monitor NIH notices, and we will update researchers if there are Research Security Training updates for NIH projects.
- 9/11/2025 notice "Implementation of NIH Research Security Policies" (NOT-OD-25-154) was rescinded on 9/29/2025 with "Update: Recission Notice re: Implementation of NIH Research Security Policies" (NOT-OD-25-161).
Educational Outreach
We offer a variety of educational outreach opportunities* for campus faculty, staff, and students. Contact us to talk about what options are available.
- Please contact us at least 30 days in advance of desired date.
- For sessions involving individual consultations, timeframe will depend on group size.
- Brief, informal online appointments or phone inquiries have more flexibility in booking.
*Example: Research Ethics Overview (45-60 minutes)-Overview of general research integrity and ethics issues with the goal of understanding the foundation of research ethics and how these principles apply in practice. Topics covered include: study team roles, data lifecycle and data management, peer review, conflict of interest, etc.
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