If you are interested in trying the system, please contact umric@maine.edu for further instructions.

Cayuse provides the following features/benefits:

• The system features smart form logic – so you will only see the sections of the form that you actually need to complete, based on your study.
• You can view the status of your protocols. Whether it’s under pre-review with the IRB staff or is waiting to be assigned to an IRB member, you can see exactly where your studies are in the review process.
• When you submit a modification, all the changes are automatically highlighted for the reviewers to see.

The review time may be a bit delayed as we all get used to the new system, so we do not recommend submitting anything that is urgent. 

At this time we are only accepting low risk studies that fall into the exempt or  categories (no full board studies). 

Again, if you are interested in trying the system, please contact umric@maine.edu for further instructions. Thank you for your consideration!

This new guidance goes hand in hand with a previously shared NIH notice, NOT-OD-25-132, which describes potential research misconduct risks of using AI in generating research applications.

All NIH researchers are encouraged to review this article. It may also provide helpful context for other researchers, as more funding agencies will likely release their own AI guidance in the future.

For more information on AI at Uº£½ÇÉçÇø, please see the .

For more information on research misconduct, please see the Office of Research Compliance’s Research Misconduct website.

Undergraduate students who are participating in research sponsored by the National Science
Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and/or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) are required to complete this training. Students
who complete the training will receive a certificate of completion valid for four years. Faculty sponsors
and principal investigators of such research should ensure that any participating undergraduate
students have completed this training.

More information is available at Undergraduate Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training.

As a reminder, effective October 1, 2025, NIH previously relayed a requirement to train Senior/Key Personnel on Other Support Disclosure requirements per the July 17, 2025 notice .

For current information on research security training requirements, please visit Training for Research Security.

This change applies to new and three-year renewal protocols submitted to Uº£½ÇÉçÇø and subsequently ACURO on or after January 1, 2026.

For new Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols with DoD funding submitted after January 1, 2026, submit them separately from protocols funded by other sources.

A new webpage on the Uº£½ÇÉçÇø IACUC website has been created as a permanent resource for this information.

This edition includes the following topics:

• Spotlight: Updates on Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Research
• Reminder: Research Security Training
• Human Subjects Research: NIH (National Institutes of Health) Reminder of Requirement for Certification of IRB Approval
• New & Updated Compliance Resources
• Research Compliance in the News

 to receive future newsletters directly in your email inbox.

Undergraduate students who are participating in research sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and/or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) are required to complete this training. Students who complete the training will receive a certificate of completion valid for four years. Faculty sponsors and principal investigators of such research should ensure that any participating undergraduate students have completed this training.

More information and an enrollment link are available at Undergraduate Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training.

We are writing to inform you about an important policy update. Last fall the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) issued a  to update and modernize the 2005 Public Health Service (PHS) Policies on Research Misconduct (Final Rule); institutions that receive PHS funds must have updated policies in place by January 1, 2026.

The Office of Research Compliance (ORC) worked with the Office of General Counsel to review and update Uº£½ÇÉçÇø’s Policy and Procedures for Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct (Word) to comply with the Final Rule. Key revisions are highlighted below:

• A number of new and revised definitions; of particular note – a significantly revised definition for ‘Plagiarism’ which specifically excludes self-plagiarism and authorship or credit disputes.
• Deletion of the Rights & Responsibilities section previously identified as confusing due to it repeating process information contained elsewhere in the policy.
• Confidentiality section revised to align with PHS regulation including expansion upon ‘need to know’.
• Maximum timeline for Inquiry & Investigation extended to 120 and 180 days respectively (now also align with National Science Foundation requirements).
• Significant revisions to Inquiry Report Contents, Investigation Process & Investigation Report Elements. Of note: Per the Final Rule, Respondents must be provided access to all transcripts of transcribed interviews, with redactions as appropriate to maintain confidentiality.

We as an institution are deeply committed to fostering an environment in which the highest ethical standards in the conduct of research and other scholarly activities are maintained. We encourage all faculty, staff and students to review this updated policy, and we welcome your questions, comments and feedback.

ORC will be developing educational resources about the revised Policy and will be hosting training sessions; a communication about these training sessions will be sent in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the Policy and additional educational materials are available on the Research Misconduct section of the ORC website.

Please contact Uº£½ÇÉçÇø’s Director of Research Compliance, Amanda Ashe (amanda.l.ashe@maine.edu), with any questions you may have regarding these changes or any feedback you wish to provide.

This edition includes the following topics:

• Research Security Training Requirements
• Safeguarding Academia Bulletin
• Human Subjects News
  • IRB Policy Updates
  • Coming Soon: Cayuse
• NIH Notice on Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• New & Updated Compliance Resources
• Research Compliance in the News

 to receive future newsletters directly in your email inbox.

All members of the research community are encouraged to review the bulletin and the companion resource,  to better understand how promoting a research ecosystem that balances openness, collaboration, integrity, fairness, responsibility, and security can help protect your research and help ensure the U.S. can protect its scientific enterprise.