Each institution that receives or applies for a research, research training, or research related grant or cooperative agreement under the Public Health Service Act must certify that the institution has established administrative policies as required by the Final Rule, 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart A, "Responsibilities for PHS Awardee and Applicant Institutions for Dealing with and Reporting Possible Misconduct in Science", and that it will comply with those policies and the requirements of the Final Rule.
The signature of the official signing for the applicant organization on the face page of the application serves as certification that:
(a) The institution will comply with the requirements of the PHS regulations on responsibilities of awardee and applicant institutions for dealing with and reporting possible research misconduct, in 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart A;
(b) The institution has established policies and procedures incorporating the porvisions set forth in 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart A;
(c) The institution will provide its policies and procedures to the Office of Research Integrity upon request.
(d) At the end of each calendar year, all institutions with research, research training, or research-related grants or cooperative agreements will make a submission (PHS Form 6349) comprising an aggregate report on their allegations, inquiries and investigations handled in the previous year. Form 6349 will be sent automatically to all PHS awardees by the Office of Research Integrity at the end of each calendar year.
Research Misconduct is defined by the Public Health Service as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other practices that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the scientific community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research. It does not include honest error or honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data.
Falsification, fabrication, or plagiarism in the grant application is considered per se research misconduct unless the principal investigator or other responsible person shows, following the exercise of due care, that the falsification, fabrication or plagiarism was due to honest error or honest differences in interpretation or judgments of data.
For further information, contact the Office of Research Integrity, Division of Policy and Education, Rockwall II, Suite 700, 5515 Security Lane, Rockville, MD 20852. Telephone: (301) 443-5300.