Compliance Training & Certification Programs
Compliance training and certification programs cover the mandatory training that institutions require of researchers and staff to satisfy funder and regulatory obligations, and the administrative processes — enrollment, tracking, credential verification, renewal — that research-administration offices run to keep that training current. This sub-cluster is organized around what training is required, who must complete it, and which funder or regulatory mandate drives the requirement. The dominant training-delivery platform in US research administration is the CITI Program, whose course catalog spans Human Subjects Research (HSR), Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Biosafety, and Animal Care and Use tracks, each aligned to the regulatory area it supports. Separately from platform-specific content, Responsible Conduct of Research training itself is a distinct funder mandate: both NIH and NSF require RCR training for specified categories of trainees and, for NSF, undergraduate and graduate students supported on NSF funds, though the two agencies differ in scope, format requirements, and which populations are covered. Pages in this sub-cluster distinguish training that satisfies a specific regulatory requirement, such as human-subjects training tied to IRB protocol approval, from training that satisfies a broader funder mandate, such as RCR, and cover how institutions structure tracking systems to document completion for audit purposes. This material is intended for the administrators who manage training compliance across a research portfolio, rather than as training content itself.
Guides
CCEP Certification: Eligibility, Exam Domains, and Renewal
CCEP (Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional) is SCCE/CCB’s general, industry-agnostic compliance credential — here is what it covers and how it compares with the healthcare-focused CHC and CHPC.
Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC): What It Covers, Who Needs It, and How It Differs From CHRC
CHC (Certified in Healthcare Compliance) is the HCCA/CCB flagship, enterprise-wide compliance credential. Here is what it covers, who it fits, and how it differs from the research-specific CHRC and privacy-focused CHPC.
CHPC Certification: What It Is and Why Research Compliance Staff Pursue It
CHPC (Certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance) is an HCCA/CCB credential for healthcare privacy-program operations. Here is what it covers and how it compares with CIP, CCRP, and CHRC for research staff.
FCOI Training Frequency: The 4-Year PHS Rule and Retraining Triggers
42 CFR 50.604(b) requires FCOI training before an Investigator engages in PHS-funded research and at least every four years after — but a policy revision, a new investigator, or a noncompliance finding resets the clock early. Here’s exactly how the timing works.
How Long Does RCR Training Take? NIH vs. NSF vs. Institutional Formats
NIH requires a minimum 8 contact hours with a live-discussion component, recurring every 4 years; NSF sets no hours or format requirement at all. Here’s the direct time-commitment comparison, plus how institutions typically structure the hours.
NSF Research Security Training Requirements
NSF’s research security training mandate under Notice 149: who must complete it, what modules satisfy it, and the Dec. 2, 2025 certification deadline.
Research Security Training: What It Is and Which Agencies Require It
An agency-agnostic overview of research security training: what it covers, the CHIPS Act/NSPM-33 legal basis, and how NIH, NSF, and DOE requirements differ, with links to agency-specific deep dives.
NIH Research Security Training Requirements
A deep-dive reference on NIH’s research security training (RST) requirement: the governing NOT-OD-26-017 notice, the May 25, 2026 effective date, accepted training options, and how completion is certified and tracked.
CITI Human Subjects Research (HSR) Training: Biomedical and SBE Tracks, Requirements, and Renewal
A guide to the CITI Program’s Human Subjects Research (HSR) course: the Biomedical and Social-Behavioral-Educational tracks, Foundations vs. Comprehensive course levels, completion requirements, and how refresher/renewal cycles are set.
Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC): What It Is and How to Get It
RAC (Regulatory Affairs Certification) is RAPS’s credential for pharmaceutical (RAC-Drugs) and medical-device (RAC-Devices) regulatory professionals — eligibility, exam structure, recertification, and how it differs from CRA, CIP, CCRP, and GCP certification.
IRB Certification: What It Actually Requires (Training vs. CIP vs. AAHRPP)
What “IRB certification” means in practice by role — required human-subjects training (usually via CITI), the individual CIP professional credential, and AAHRPP institutional accreditation are three distinct things people conflate under this term.
Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Certification: What It Is, Who Needs It, and How to Get It
A practical guide to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certification: what it is, who requires it, the real providers (CITI, ACRP, SOCRA), renewal cycles, and how it differs from broader human-subjects-protection training.
CITI Program: What It Is, What It Covers, and What It Doesn’t Satisfy
What the CITI Program trains, which federal requirements it satisfies (and doesn’t), how institutional subscriptions and learner records work, and where the cross-institutional verification gap remains.
Certified Research Administrator (CRA) Credential and Exam
What the CRA credential certifies, who administers it (RACC), the exam’s fees, eligibility requirements, four-domain Body of Knowledge, and RACC’s own guidance on how to prepare.
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training: Requirements and How Completion Gets Tracked
What NIH and NSF actually require for responsible conduct of research (RCR/RECR) training, NSF’s newer Research Security Training obligation, and the real operational problem: how completion gets tracked and verified across institutional research-administration systems.
