Financial Conflict of Interest & Responsible Conduct of Research

OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROGRAMS

Research Compliance

Yeshiva University is committed to cultivating the highest of integrity in research conduct carried out by its faculty, staff and students. A focus to five key areas of research integrity ensures the university complies and adheres to federal, state, and local regulations. It is the responsibility of Deans, faculty, students and staff whose work at all relates to research to understand the following categories and how to report potential issues.

Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI)

Financial conflict of interest (FCOI) in research and other sponsored activity may occur when outside financial interests compromise, or have the appearance or potential of compromising, the professional judgment of key personnel designing, conducting or reporting research. The objectivity of research is of vital importance and is the basis of obtaining and maintaining public trust.

If you are submitting a proposal to a PHS agency, it is a federal requirement that you must submit a Financial Conflict of Interest Disclosure even if there is no FCOI present. Yeshiva University requires FCOI disclosures for all senior key personnel on externally sponsored research projects (federal and non-federal).

FCOI must be completed annually.

We recommend you review the following policies and links to understand YU policy and federal requirements:

You may contact our Sponsored Programs Officer, Carlos Gonzalez (carlos.gonzalez@yu.edu or 646-952-6014), for any questions regarding the Financial Conflict of Interest Form.

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Yeshiva University is dedicated to the highest standards of research integrity and is committed to responsible and ethical conduct for all those involved in research, including research funded through training awards, career development awards, research education awards, and dissertation research awards.

All University faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and students are required to be trained in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and provide training completion certificates to the University PRIOR to their involvement in any research.

It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator/Project Director (PI) to ensure that all research team members are informed of, and comply with, this training requirement. Moreover, it is the PI’s responsibility to provide appropriate mentoring through discussions of RCR topics and through oversight of the research project and to collect and submit all required training completion certificates.
Training must be completed at least every four (4) years.
This training requirement is intended to satisfy the training requirements of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies, and may be modified or amended from time to time to ensure compliance with such requirements or as the University deems appropriate.
If a new employee or student joins the project and was not part of the original proposal, the Principal Investigator must have that new member go through RCR training. If there are any questions regarding this matter, please contact our office and we may assist you.

To Access the Course

Go to CITI Program website
Register, selecting Yeshiva University as a CITI Program subscriber organization,
Agree to the Terms of Service and affirm your affiliation with Yeshiva University
Continue to create your CITI Program account
Select the appropriate modules that corresponds to your area of research:
- Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research
- Responsible Conduct of Research for Engineers
- Humanities Responsible Conduct of Research
- Physical Science Responsible Conduct of Research
- Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research
- Responsible Conduct of Research for Administrators

You may contact our Sponsored Programs Officer, Carlos Gonzalez (carlos.gonzalez@yu.edu or 646-952-6014), for any questions regarding RCR.

Research Security Training (RST)

The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act requires federal agencies to establish research security regulations to safeguard the integrity, reliability, and openness of the U.S. research enterprise, while addressing concerns related to foreign interference, conflicts of interest, and research misappropriation.

Requirements: All senior personnel on federal scientific research grants must comply with federal and agency-specific certification, disclosure, and training requirements.

Training: Effective October 1, 2025, senior personnel applying for, or currently supported by, any federal scientific research agency must complete approved Research Security Training. Training must be completed within one year prior to application submission and is required annually for active awardees.

To support compliance, Yeshiva University provides access to the CITI Research Security training module, a condensed 2-hour program that meets federal standards. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate that serves as both individual and institutional proof of compliance.

To Access the Course

Go to CITI Program website
Register, selecting Yeshiva University as a CITI Program subscriber organization,
Agree to the Terms of Service and affirm your affiliation with Yeshiva University
Continue to create your CITI Program account
Click on add a course under learner tools
Click on "Research Security" and then the "Next" button
Select "Research Security Training (Combined Course)"
You can now start your training under "Courses Ready to Begin"

You may contact our Sponsored Programs Officer, Carlos Gonzalez (carlos.gonzalez@yu.edu or 646-592-6014) for any questions regarding the Research Security training.

Research Misconduct

Yeshiva University is committed to ensuring the integrity of research. We understand the importance of protecting the integrity of research for the greater good of society. All faculty, staff, scholars and students are expected to uphold honesty and ethics in conducting research.

Research misconduct is defined as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or reporting research results, where:

Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them
Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record
Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit

It is the responsibility of all Yeshiva University faculty, staff, scholars and students to report research misconduct, and to assure that such reports are dealt with in a timely, effective, and fair manner.

In compliance with federal requirements, Yeshiva University has implemented an official Scientific Misconduct Policy, that outlines procedures and processes for research misconduct claims. The Scientific Misconduct Policy can be found here.

If you would like to discuss anonymously or unofficially an incidence of possible research misconduct or have questions about the process, please contact any of the following:

Selma Botman
Provost and VP of Academic Affairs
selma.botman@yu.edu

Mellissa Williams
Director of Sponsored Programs
mellissa.williams@yu.edu

Ed Berliner
Dean of Science Management
eberline@yu.edu