Visit the new Novelution IRB website to sign up for training workshops, view how-to video tutorials and PDF guides, access the new forms and templates library, read answers to Novelution transition questions, and to log into the Novelution submission portal.

Novelution 101 training workshops are offered bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. throughout October and will transition into a monthly offering in November and December.

In-Person Sessions Return

In collaboration with Research Integrity's collaborators in the FAU Graduate College, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) and The Herbert Wetheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) workshops are back in person this falls semester.

Sessions on the Boca Raton campus begin Thursday, Sept. 28 at the FAU Student Support Services building (SU-80), room 132, from noon and 2 p.m. Lunch is provided.

Registration is limited and is first-come, first-serve.

For more information:

• MPFI trainees, contact Victoria Colina-Brunné at osr@mpfi.org or 561-972-9145.
• FAU students, contact Christine Kraft kraftc@fau.edu or 561-297-4358.
• UF/Scripps participants, contact Rosie Albarran-Zeckler at albarranzecklerr@ufl.edu or 561-228-2994

These in-person sessions are supplementary to the online RCR Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training, and do not replace the CITI training. In-person training is required for researchers being paid by certain types of federal grants.

On July 31, 2023, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the requirement for Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) training for faculty and other senior personnel supported by NSF for new proposal submissions. This requirement can be satisfied with the RCR CITI training. See the last edition of The Beacon for more information on NSF’s requirements here.

To address the new NSF requirements and more, check the newly developed RCR webpage which includes RCR elements and resources such as boilerplate language to use in grants and training initiatives.

CITI has also expanded the courses for Data Management and Mentoring & Healthy Research Environments to address the new NSF requirements. More information can be found on CITI’s website here.

BioRAFT has changed its name to SciShield.

The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) has revised its policies for emergency transportation of biohazardous materials and for relinquishing IBC registrations.

In the event of building closures, principal investigators (PI) should coordinate with the Environmental Health and Safety Management System to move materials safely, then update their IBC registrations in SciShield to reflect the changes made.

PIs closing out projects involving biological materials or transferring responsibility to a new PI, should contact the IBC coordinator (adonovan@fau.edu). The new PI will take over the existing laboratory registration in SciShield.

Update your Significant Financial Interest (SFI) disclosures as needed. To update SFIs in Novelution, select "My SFI Disclosure" from the Financial Conflict of Interest menu. New outside interests should be added as soon as possible and SFIs should be resubmitted annually.

Outside interests unrelated to your field of research should be omitted from the disclosure.

For more information, visit the FAU FCOI website.

For regular policy updates from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), check IACUC policy and procedures.

Fall semester brings semi-annual inspections of facilities slated for scheduling in October. Researchers will receive notifications regarding time and details of the inspection schedule.

With the final launch of the IRB module in Novelution, Research Integrity will focus on the development and implementation of the IACUC module in Novelution. Stay tuned for updates.

Check Out the Beacon Online

Find archived editions of The Beacon here. 

Share with colleagues or use as references to tips and hints.