Addressing Allegations of Research Misconduct by PHS-Funded Faculty
Changes to Federal Regulations for Public Health Service-Funded Research Misconduct
In September 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity (ORI) issued the following announcement:
“The research landscape has undergone significant changes over the past 20 years. Advances in technology, scientific progress, and the globalization of research made it necessary to update ORI’s regulations. Research collaborations now transcend borders and are no longer carried out in isolation with a single source of funding. This led ORI to update its regulation and release the 2024 Final Rule to ensure that when [Public Health Service]-funded institutions address research misconduct allegations, the process is efficient, transparent, and fair. … The 2024 Final Rule is designed to balance the needs of the research community and ORI’s regulatory responsibilities.”
The updated regulation applies to all institutions on January 1, 2026.
CC’s Responsibilities
In order to be in compliance with federal regulations (ORI’s 2024 Final Rule), Colorado College has:
- Updated its Procedures for Addressing Allegations of Research Misconduct by PHS-Funded Faculty or PHS Grant Applicants prior to January 1, 2026
- Informed all institutional members about these updated procedures
- Made these procedures publicly available.
Applicability
As of December 15, 2025, Colorado College has no faculty with active PHS-funded research, nor any faculty actively working on a grant proposal to a Public Health Service agency, such as the NIH. Faculty who are contemplating preparing a grant proposal to a PHS agency are advised to review the above procedures and reach out to the Director of Sponsored Research.
In the future, Colorado College may determine it is appropriate to develop a unified Research Misconduct policy for all CC faculty that meets these PHS regulations.