Training

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I make sure I get credit for taking my FCOI training in CITI?

  There are two steps to make sure you get credit for taking the training.  First, you must be assigned the FCOI “track” in Ability.  Second, you must take the training in CITI.  If you skip the first step, OSP will not receive notice that you have completed the training.

• How do I know if I have been assigned the FCOI Track in Ability?
  1. If you log in to Ability and see the track for Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) for US DOE & PHS Awards, follow the prompts, which will direct you to the CITI course.
     
     
  2. Log in to CITI using your MSU Net ID. Follow the instructions in the email notice from ORRS Training or on the ORRS Training SharePoint site for how to access the CITI training.
     • If this is the first time you have logged into CITI using your MSU NetID, you’ll be asked if you already have a CITI account. If you do, you will want to merge that account with your MSU account to avoid retaking courses you took previously.
     • For example, if you had an account at a different institution, update your primary address using the netid@msu.edu format to ensure your records are found during the weekly transfer process.
       
       
  3. After you have logged into CITI, click View Courses > Learner Tools > Add a Course (see ORRS Training SharePoint site for screen shots).
     • You will be asked 5 questions, so CITI knows which course to assign you. Answer No or Not at this time for questions 1-4.  Select Conflict of Interest in question 5.
     • You should then see the course listed. Complete the course in CITI.
     • Once completed, your record will be transferred automatically to the MSU Ability system within a week.

  
  You do not need to take any additional action. You will receive notice from ORRS.train@msu.edu when your FCOI training expires.

• What do I do if I haven’t been assigned the FCOI for US DOE & PHS Awards track in Ability?
  1. If you log in to Ability, and the track isn’t listed among your requirements, you will need to add it before taking the training in CITI.
     
     
  2. To add the FCOI learning track, navigate to your Ability Requirements list. There, use the FCOI learning track enrollment link (CITI-2601-WBT COI Overview; Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) for US DOE & PHS Awards) or use the green + icon to add the FCOI track.
     
     
  3. Once you do this, you can log into CITI to take the training (see question above). Within a week, your completion will be automatically recorded in Kuali for Sponsored Project and CDM staff to view.

  
  You will receive notice from ORRS.train@msu.edu when your FCOI training expires.
• I completed my CITI COI training at another institution.
  1. The Ability FCOI track automatically calculates whether the training you previously took meets MSU’s requirements.
     
     
  2. Currently, the following courses, if taken within the last four years, will transfer:
     1. CITI-2261-WBT (CITI Financial Conflicts of Interest: Overview Investigator Responsibilities and Coi Rules)
     2. CITI-2603-WBT (CITI CITI Conflict of Interest Course – Introduction (COI-Basic))
     3. CITI-2781-WBT (CITI Conflicts of Commitment and Conscience (COI-Basic))
     4. RCR-1060-SCO (Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) OBS)
     5. RCR-6460-ILT (RCR Conflict of Interest)
        
        
  3. If it has been more than four years since you took one of these courses, you will need to take MSU’s assigned CITI Course.
     
     
  4. If you do not have one of the accepted course records on your Ability transcript, you will receive an email notice to complete training.

  
  You can merge your CITI account from a previous institution. We cannot accept paper certificates in lieu of a digital record at this time.
• I have no idea what you’re talking about.

  PHS, DOE, and some other federal agencies require Key Personnel to take training before working on any funded projects for the first time.  Key personnel on these awards must renew this training every four years. ORRS.train@msu.edu will send you an email reminder 30 days prior to the deadline. It can take a week for records to be imported into the MSU Ability system. You will continue to receive reminders until your training completion is recorded in the Ability training compliance system.

  CITI hosts the COI Course (Financial Conflicts of Interest: Overview Investigator Responsibilities and COI Rules (COI-Basic)) that MSU assigns to researchers in order to meet this requirement.  Ability is MSU’s learning management system (LMS) that assigns and tracks whether training has been completed. 

  You may contact ORRS.train@msu.edu, weekdays, for technical help, general questions, or special access to use the system.  You may contact help@osp.msu.edu or your grants administrator for award-specific questions.  You may contact cdm@msu.edu for general COI questions.
• Who is required to take COI training?

  Many federal agencies, including those that are part of the Public Health Service (PHS) and Department of Energy (DOE) require that Investigators and Key Personnel on their awards must take training once before beginning any work and every four years thereafter (with some exceptions).  Those agencies define “Investigator” as someone who is responsible for “the purpose [DOE only], design, conduct, or reporting” of the proposed or funded research.  Therefore, anyone who fulfills one of those roles is subject to these training requirements.  The University may expand the training requirement as it deems necessary. See Faculty COI Policy, Section IV.

  Individuals with research subject to the HRPP manual may have additional COI training requirements.