Research Integrity and Compliance

The George Washington University (GW) is committed to promoting the highest standards of ethical research and scholarly conduct while pursuing its research mission. To that end, the university has a number of resources and programs available to support its research community.

Research Integrity

The Office of Research Integrity and Compliance within the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) provides further information on general compliance considerations, university policies and GW's statement of ethical principles.

Human Research

The Office of Human Research (OHR) is the administrative support office for GW's Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). OHR's mission is to support the GW research community in the conduct of innovative and ethical research by providing guidance, education and oversight for the protection of human subjects.

Animal Research

The Office of Animal Research (OAR) provides space, equipment and care for laboratory animals used for research and teaching purposes. Working closely with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), OAR provides the highest standards of humane care and use of laboratory animals and assures compliance with university and federal regulations.

Lab Safety

The Office of Laboratory Safety (OLS) has specialized knowledge and expertise in biological, chemical and radiological health and safety. OLS is responsible for radiation safety, biosafety and laser safety and works closely with allied departments (Office of Health & Safety, Police, Facilities Management, Risk Management, etc.) within the university.

Export Controls

The export of certain commodities, information technologies, software and services is regulated for reasons of national security, foreign policy, prevention of the spread of weapons of mass destruction and for competitive trade reasons. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research provides information and support regarding Export Controls regulations and procedures designed to promote university compliance.

Data Use and Data Management

Learn more about Data Use Agreements (DUAs) and Data Management Plans (DMPs) as part of your sponsored project.

Conflicts of Interest

All proposal packages must include the Conflict of Interest (COI) and Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) Project Form (PDF) and that form must be completed by all principal investigators (PIs), senior/key personnel and investigators. The GW Policy on Outside Interests, Relationships, and Professional Activities is designed to assist faculty and the university in the identification of potential and actual conflicts of interest and to support compliance with applicable government regulations.

Financial Conflicts of Interest

Effective August 24, 2012, a significant change in the procedure for disclosing conflicts of interest was implemented to comply with new federal regulation regarding public health service (PHS) funding.

Responsible Conduct of Research

All faculty and students interested in research are urged to complete the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training provided at GW. Completion of RCR training is mandatory for all undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers supported on a full-time or part-time basis on any National Science Foundation award resulting from a proposal due after January 4th, 2010.

Download the Sponsored Projects Handbook (PDF, GW Login Required)