Guidance on NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) on-line tutorial Protecting Human Research Participants (PHRP)

Notice Number: NOT-OD-08-054

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:

  • September 24, 2010 - See Notice NOT-OD-10-139 Spanish On-line Tutorial on Human Research Participants Protections Launched by NIH Office of Extramural Research.
  • August 28, 2018 NOT-OD-18-221 Protecting Human Research Participants (PHRP) Online Tutorial No Longer Available as of September 26, 2018

Key Dates
Release Date: February 29, 2008

Issued by
Office of Extramural Research (OER),
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov/)

Announcement

On March 1, 2008, the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) on-line tutorial Protecting Human Research Participants (http://phrp.nihtraining.com) replaced the NCI Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams course. The NCI course will no longer be available as of March 1, 2008. Like the previous course, the OER tutorial is a free, web-based course that presents information about protections for human participants in research. The tutorial is designed for those involved in the design and/or conduct of research involving human participants. It satisfies the NIH human subjects training requirement for obtaining NIH awards, but it is not the only way to satisfy this requirement. Information on satisfying the requirement and answers to commonly asked questions about the education requirement may be found on OER’s FAQs on the Requirement for Education on the Protection of Human Subjects (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs_educ_faq.htm).

Background

In October, 2000, the NIH implemented a requirement for education on the protection of human research participants for all investigators who submit NIH applications for grants or proposals for contracts and receive new or non-competing awards for research involving human subjects.

(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html)

Prior to award, the NIH requires documentation that includes the names of the key personnel who are responsible for the design and conduct of the study; the title of the education program completed by each named personnel plus a one sentence description of the program. The timing of submission of documentation is in keeping with just-in-time procedures and the documentation must be signed by an Authorized Institutional Official.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-01-061.html)

For many years, the NIH offered web-based training that institutions can approve to meet the NIH policy requirement for human subjects education: http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp. This course sunsetted on February 29, 2008.

Inquiries

Questions related to the NCI Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams course, including questions about prior participation and certification can be sent to ncioesisupport@mail.nih.gov.

Questions related to the new NIH Office of Extramural Research course can be sent to support@nihtraining.com. The new course does not provide support for previous certifications under NCI and cannot answer questions about the NCI course.