Harvard's Web

At Harvard the web-based training course is tailored towards the general needs of the kinds of research conducted in an academic setting.

"We wanted to include things in our training that are particular to Harvard and relevant to University investigators," says Dean R. Gallant '72, the executive officer of the use of human subjects research committee. He was also the Faculty of Arts and Science's representative on the team that developed of the web-based training program.

Harvard's program is also flexible in that, after an introductory segment, researchers follow different paths through the training depending on whether they are affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS), the medical school (HMS) or the School of Public Health.

For those professors or lab assistants who work at the bench, the time commitment is small. A quick scan of the website could be completed in as little as an hour.

Once a researcher finishes the training, verification is sent by e-mail to the researcher, as well various administrators who work to process grant applications before sending them to the government.

Additionally, each NIH grant application must include a letter with a delineation of all "key personnel" that received the training and a description of the education program. A sample letter is posted on the FAS website,

The administration will be responsible for compiling all the paperwork and ensuring that no researcher who works with human subjects fails to view the website.