Ensuring Research Integrity - Program Development and Evaluation Program (PDE)

The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) anticipates the availability of funding to support projects for the development and implementation of innovative approaches and tools to promote research integrity and prevent misconduct. This includes creating interventions based on empirical evidence, including findings from ORI-funded research, and tools to identify at-risk individuals or laboratories. This opportunity supports the creation and evaluation of interventions and assessment tools aimed at promoting research integrity, while ensuring transparency, accountability, and ethical scientific practices that serve public health and societal well-being Projects may include all, or a number of the goals below:1) Development of educational resources toCreate novel online training modules incorporating interactive scenarios to teach principles of research integrity, ensuring that researchers are equipped with tools to navigate ethical dilemmas and resist external pressures that compromise scientific integrityDevelop engaging, in-person or classroom educational programs that promote the responsible conduct of research, prevent research misconduct, or encourages the reporting of suspected research misconduct, fostering a research culture that prioritizes public trust and accountability. Evaluate the effectiveness of the developed educational and training resources, to ensure alignment with the highest ethical standards in science and public health. 2) Creation of risk assessment tools to Design, develop, and test assessment tools for principal investigators, department chairs, or other research administrators to evaluate the risk for individuals, laboratories, or research programs - to engage in misconduct or detrimental research practicesDesign, develop, and test assessment tool that examines institutional research culture or practices that impact or lead to potential research misconduct. Evaluate the effectiveness of the development risk assessment tools, to strengthen the integrity of research institutions and ensure compliance with public health priorities.3) Implementation and Testing of Intervention Programs toCreate pilot interventions designed to improve data management and record-keeping in labs, with pre- and post-assessment of research integrity, ensuring research findings are transparent, reproducible, and free from manipulation. Implementation of mentorship and leadership training programs in research settings to foster a culture of ethical and responsible research. Evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs to measure long-term impact, ensuring that scientific research upholds ethical principles that benefit public health. The recipient owns the copyright for materials developed under an award, and pursuant to 45 C.F.R. § 75.322(b), HHS reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use those materials for federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so. In addition, pursuant to 45 C.F.R. § 75.322(d), the federal government has the right to obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use data produced under this award and has the right to authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for federal purposes. We expect to fund awards in 12-month budget periods for a total period of performance up to 24 months. Recipients must submit a non-competing continuation (NCC) application for each budget period after the first. Continuation funding is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, appropriate stewardship of federal funds, and the best interests of the government. Funding for all approved budget periods after the first is generally the same as the initial award amount subject to any offset with funds unused in the previous budget period. Universities, hospitals, laboratories, other public or private institutions, and individuals are eligible to apply for an award under this opportunity. Eligible entities include faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations. Eligible entities include foreign organizations and foreign components of domestic organizations, if the proposed activity provides a domestic benefit, such as promoting research integrity among PHS-funded institutions both within the U.S. and abroad.