Research and Sponsored Programs

CITI Program 

California State University, Fresno has joined the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program to fulfill requirements for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), Human Subjects Research (HSR), Animal Care and User Committee (ACU), among others. 

To access training via our library of available training courses:

  • Click on the training link that is appropriate for your research area
  • Look for the option at the top of the page to “Log in through my organization”
  • Search “Fresno” and select our campus after it populates in the field
  • If/as needed, follow the prompts to either create a new account, or link an existing account
  • The training will be found in your “Active Courses” list     

Available Training:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) require certain categories of researchers to receive RCR training. However, RCR is increasingly viewed as an essential component of training regardless of a researcher's source of funding.

RCR consists of a basic course, refresher course, communicating research findings course, and facilitator guides. While particular emphasis is given to the educational needs of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, the RCR series is suitable for any person involved in research ranging from upper-level undergraduates to established faculty and other professionals.

The RCR Basic, RCR Refresher, and Communicating Research Findings courses provide students or other researchers with foundational knowledge that can enhance the quality of in-person or virtual training. RCR trainers can use the RCR Facilitator Guides to develop and facilitate in-person or virtual training.

The RCR courses and facilitator guides were written and peer-reviewed by experts.

Language Availability: English, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese

Suggested Audiences: Faculty, Postdoctoral Researchers, Principal Investigators, Staff, Students

The Human Subjects Research (HSR) series is organized into two tracks: Biomedical (Biomed) and Social-Behavioral-Educational (SBE). Each track is intended for anyone involved in research with human participants or responsible for setting policies and procedures for such research, including Institutional Review Board (IRB) members and personnel.

The Biomed and SBE Foundations courses provide foundational training covering core topics and concepts in the protection of research participants. The Office for Human Research Protections’ (OHRP) Human Research Protection Foundational Training is also available as an option. The Biomed and SBE Comprehensive courses provide expanded training covering core topics and concepts, as well as advanced topics such as informed consent, vulnerable populations, stem cell research, phase I research, data and safety monitoring, big data research, mobile app research, and disaster and conflict research. Various Biomed and SBE refresher course options are available. Refresher courses provide retraining for individuals who have already completed a basic course.

The HSR series also includes standalone courses for specific roles and topics. Role-specific courses include Community Research Partner Training, IRB Chair, and Institutional/Signatory Official. Topic-specific courses include OHRP’s Considerations for Reviewing Human Subjects Research and Participant-Centered Informed Consent Training, Essentials of Public Health Research, Single IRB Use and Administration, Clinical Trial Agreements, Phase I Research, Community-Engaged and Community-Based Participatory Research, and Revised Common Rule. Various courses are also available for Certified IRB Professionals (CIPs) seeking recertification credit.

All HSR modules reflect the revised Common Rule (2018 Requirements). Upon request, legacy versions of HSR modules that reflect the pre-2018 requirements are available.

These courses were written and peer-reviewed by experts.

Language Availability: English, French, Khmer, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Vietnamese

Suggested Audiences: Researchers, Research Team Members, Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), Institutional/Signatory Officials, IRB Chairs, IRB Administrators and Staff, Human Subject Protection Staff, Students

The ACU Core courses are designed to meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) requirements for basic training in the humane care and use of animals. They help investigators, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) members, and other animal care and use personnel work more productively. Note: The ACU Advanced courses complement the ACU Core courses. They provide advanced training for animal care and use personnel.

These courses were written and peer-reviewed by experts.

Language Availability: English

Suggested Audiences: IACUC Members, Animal Workers and Staff, IACUC Chairs, IACUC Community Members, Institutional Officials, Investigators, Research Assistants, Students

The COI Basic course is designed to satisfy training requirements associated with the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) regulations on financial conflicts of interest. There is also a COI Refresher course that offers retraining on key concepts and rules relating to these regulations. These courses are intended for investigators who receive funding from a PHS agency, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or who are required by their organization to be familiar with the PHS financial conflicts of interest regulations. Organizations may want to customize these courses with institutional-specific details. Contact us to discuss organization-specific modules for the basic and refresher courses.

The COI in Healthcare course is a video-based course designed to provide an introduction to conflicts of interest specifically intended for healthcare professionals.

Language Availability: English

Suggested Audiences: Investigators Involved in PHS-Funded Research, Investigators Needing a Familiarity with PHS FCOI Regulations, Research Assistants

IPS consists of five courses, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), Information Security, Data Privacy 101, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which can be utilized based on organizational needs. The CUI course provides researchers, institutional administrators, and IT professionals with the knowledge needed to safeguard CUI and meet federal compliance obligations.

The Information Security course provides information on basic techniques for data and device security, including email and mobile devices. The Data Privacy 101 course addresses why privacy awareness and compliance matter in today’s data-driven world. The FERPA course provides a comprehensive overview of FERPA’s core aspects to ensure compliance with the regulations, as well as role-specific material for a variety of professionals working in education and research. The COPPA course prepares edtech developers and researchers to navigate COPPA’s legal requirements, conduct compliant research, and engage with digital environments used by children under 13.

These courses were authored and peer-reviewed by experts.

Language Availability: English, Korean

Suggested Audiences: Teachers, Educators, IRB Administrators, Administrators, IRB Members, Individuals Working with Identifiable Health Data (HIPAA-defined “PHI”), Researchers, Instructors, Students

GCP includes basic and refresher courses tailored to different training needs for clinical research teams. The basic courses provide in-depth foundational training, and the refresher courses offer fresh content for retraining.

CITI Program’s GCP training is used by over 1,800 institutions (including many leading hospitals, academic medical centers, universities, and healthcare companies) to meet their GCP training needs. The courses are aligned with the ICH E6(R3) GCP principles and practices, applicable U.S. FDA regulations, and the ISO 14155 standard.

The following courses also meet the minimum criteria for ICH GCP investigator site personnel training identified by TransCelerate BioPharma as necessary to enable mutual recognition of GCP training among trial sponsors:

Basic Courses - English and Spanish

Refresher Courses - English

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)* also requires completion of GCP training that demonstrates that individuals have attained fundamental knowledge of clinical trial quality standards for designing, conducting, recording, and reporting trials involving human research participants.

These courses were written and peer-reviewed by experts.

* NIH in fulfillment of their GCP training policy (Policy on Good Clinical Practice Training for NIH Awardees Involved in NIH-funded Clinical Trials; NOT-OD-16-148) states that NIH-funded investigators and staff should be trained in GCP. The NIH does not endorse any specific training programs. CITI Program offers several GCP courses that are considered acceptable by many leading organizations to meet their training needs per NIH policy released on 16 September 2016. Course completion certificates and reports are provided to learners at the completion of a course and are sharable via unique hyperlink or PDF making training documentation seamless for sponsors and sites.

Language Availability: English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese

Suggested Audiences: IRB Members, Clinical Research Coordinators, Clinical Research Organizations (CROs), Researchers, Investigators, Key Study Personnel, Principal Investigators, Research Nurses, Research Staff, Sponsors, Study Coordinators

Overview
The EC course provides an introduction to export compliance, as well as role and responsibility tailored training reflecting key individuals and departments across organizations that must adhere to export compliance regulations.

This new course replaces the CITI Program’s old U.S. Export Control Regulations course and delivers updated, flexible content that offers comprehensive training and practical guidance to EC learners.

Modules

  • Introduction to Export Compliance
  • Export Compliance for Researchers: Part I
  • Export Compliance for Researchers: Part II
  • Export Compliance for Research Administrators
  • Export Compliance and Biosafety
  • Export Compliance for Operational Departments
  • Export Compliance for International Shipping
  • Export Compliance and Purchasing
  • Export Compliance and International and Foreign Waters
  • Export Compliance and Collaborations
  • Export Compliance and United States Sanctions Programs

These courses were written and peer reviewed by experts.

Language Availability: English

Suggested Audiences: Investigators, Operational Personnel, Research Team Members, Researchers