At the beginning of May, PRIM&R shared a blog post by Ross Hickey and Jennifer Karlin about the importance of responsible conduct in research (RCR) and the efforts, spearheaded by the University of Southern Maine’s Maine Regulatory Training and Ethics Center (MeRTEC), to build capacity in the field of research integrity with support from HHS’ Office of Research Integrity. By expanding the community of researchers studying RCR, drafting and building buy-in for an RCR research agenda, and enhancing what we know about RCR training, their goal is to enhance the RCR knowledge base and strengthen our ability to communicate the positive results of a culture of research integrity.

MeRTEC is currently seeking input from research integrity stakeholders to capture the breadth, depth, and interconnectedness of an RCR research agenda. Anyone can participate in this endeavor by completing this survey and sharing it with your research integrity colleagues and your institution’s researchers (professional and student).

The survey closes Sunday, June 25. We encourage you to share the link widely.

Ross Hickey is the Assistant Provost for Research Integrity at USM. Ross is coordinating USM’s work in the New England Ocean Cluster (NEOCH). He is an attorney and a member of the Maine Bar. He has built a nationally recognized research compliance office that serves not only USM, but institutions throughout the State of Maine. Ross is contacted on a regular basis provide technical assistance to other local institutions on regulatory compliance matters. The Research Integrity Symposium hosted by Ross attracts attendees from all over the country to learn about regulatory and ethical considerations in research.

Jennifer Karlin spent the first half of her career at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where she was a professor of industrial engineering and held the Pietz professorship for entrepreneurship and economic development. She is now at the University of Southern Maine where she is a research professor of engineering and the curriculum specialist for the Maine Regulatory Training and Ethics Center.