This section of The Guide remains under construction even as we publish it for use. However, the ultimate goal of Northwestern University's Research Training, Education and Communication (TE&C) program is to partner with the NU research community to provide innovative, research related TE&C in an effective and comprehensive manner.

The TE&C program will be organized around the grant administration life cycle and be based on the tenets of innovation, partnership and effectiveness. The TE&C program will embrace innovation by utilizing new media, non-traditional perspectives and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). In the spirit of "building quality in," SMEs will not only be leveraged to ensure all information is current and appropriate, but also to deliver training from the audience's perspective. Partnering with Northwestern's research community will include leveraging personnel from across the school and research administration unit spectrum to build the program. Program effectiveness will be promoted through, among other methods, tracking whether PIs and research administrators have adequately received and completed the proper training. Continuous improvement principles will be employed to make sure the program maintains effectiveness as the needs of Northwestern's research community change.

While the new program has yet to take shape, valuable research TE&C is already available at Northwestern University. Below is a limited selection of training, education and communication opportunities available to Northwestern University research community. For further clarification of the TE&C program, please contact the individual department(s).

Training and Education

• ABCs of Sponsored Research at Northwestern
• Research Administration Training Seminar
• Research Administration Training Seminar Materials New September 2009
• Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research
• Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Projects (ASRSP)
• Advisory Council for Clinical Research (NU ACCR) 2009 lecture series
• Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM)
• Cost Studies
• Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS)
• Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS)
• Office for Research Safety (ORS)
• Office for Sponsored Research (OSR)
• Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Courses

NU Advisory Council for Clinical Research (NU ACCR)

The Council is dedicated to promoting compliant and responsible clinical research conduct through facilitating new ideas, promoting changes in organizational policies, and creating educational programming and relevant activities for the Northwestern University clinical research community.  The Council serves the entire Northwestern clinical research community on the Chicago Campus including Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation (NMFF), the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), and the Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC).  The ACCR is jointly sponsored by the Office for Research at the Feinberg School of Medicine and the Office for Research Integrity at Northwestern University. 

For more information, please click here

Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM)

• Cost Principles - these principles establish the base guidelines for the reasonableness, allowability and allocablity of costs charged to federal research grants and contracts. A-21 also specifically establishes the allowability of certain items involved in determining cost
• Facilities and Administration Rate - Northwestern's F&A rate determines the rate by which Northwestern recovers indirect costs incurred from performing federal research
• Effort Reporting - general guidelines and methods for reporting faculty and staff effort on federal grants and contracts are described here
• Cost Accounting Standards - CAS describes techniques for treatment of costs across all educational institutions

Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS)

The burgeoning clinical and translational research enterprise at Northwestern University is being spearheaded by the new Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) and now includes services formerly offered through the Northwestern Center for Clinical Research (NCCR).  NUCATS is a resource for clinical research education within the Northwestern research community and beyond. Through the Pathways in Clinical Research courses and other training opportunities, NUCATS provide a variety of educational opportunities for investigators and research personnel.

The most up-to-date NUCATS training and education information can be found here

Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS)

Institutional Review Board (IRB)
The IRB consists of individuals dedicated to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects, to assist investigators and the NU research community in minimizing risk to the human research subject, and to achieve compliance with all federal, state and institutional regulations. To that end, investigators and all authorized research personnel involved in the conduct of research at Northwestern University must complete training on the protection of human subjects. Authorized project personnel are listed in each IRB project submission and include the principal investigator, co-investigators, study coordinator, research nurse, students, and research assistants.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
IACUC ensures that animal care and use is humane care and use of animals, inspects the animal facilities and investigator laboratories, and reports its findings to the Associate Vice President for Research. The IACUC also makes recommendations to the Vice President for Research regarding any aspect of the institution's animal program, facilities, or personnel training. As such, IACUC ensures that all authorized project personnel receive appropriate IACUC related training. The training is targeted at personnel including principal investigator, co-investigators, study coordinator, students, research assistants and other personnel.

For more information, please click here

Northwestern offers a number of courses in the training of Responsible Concuct of Research and medical ethics for undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and medical trainees to ensure appropriate training and oversight of our earliest-career investigators:

Subject	Audience	Frequency
IBiS Course	Students in the IBiS program	Spring Quarter
IGP 494: Colloquium on Integrity in Biomedical Research	Students in the IGP program	Fall Quarter
NUIN Course	Students in the NUIN program
NUCATS Course	Clinical research staff and community investigators
Ethical Issues in Clinical Research	Residents in Northwestern's post-graduate training programs
Public Health 441: Ethical Issues in Clinical Research		Summer Quarter
CITI - Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative	Anyone interested in RCR	Complete at your own pace
TRE - Teaching Research Ethics	Those involved in teaching research ethics or in administering research programs	4 - day workshop offered annually
Master of Science in Clinical Research and Regulatory Administration	Students in the master of science in clinical research and regulatory administration or the master in quality assurance and regulatory science	Summer Quarter

Office for Research Safety (ORS)

In accordance with its mission, the Office for Research Safety offers training and education designed to increase the safety with which research involving radiation, chemical, and biological material is conducted. ORS training and education helps to keep Northwestern University compliant with local, state, and federal safety regulations; such compliance is essential to maintain Northwestern University's eligibility for federal funding. ORS training and education is targeted at faculty, staff, and students and is required in order for individuals to perform or participate in certain research related activities. Those interested in finding out more about the training below should contact the Office for Research Safety directly.

For more information visit the Research Safety training page which details research safety training expectations for NU faculty and staff.