FCOI Training

All Georgetown University investigators must complete financial conflict of interest (COI) training prior to participating in research related to any PHS-funded grant or contract and then every four years thereafter. (See full PHS list below.) In most cases, an investigator’s training certificate will be good for four years, unless the investigator is noncompliant with the Georgetown FCOI policy or conflict management plan, or Georgetown changes its policy.

The required COI training is available online via the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI).  Once investigators complete the tutorial, CITI records your certification and then provides a record to the Office of Research Oversight (ORO).

Who is Required to Complete COI Training?

If you are on a PHS study and meet the definition of an investigator, then you must complete COI training. An investigator is anyone responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of funded or proposed research, regardless of title or position. This includes:

• Project directors
• Principal investigators
• Co-investigators
• Key personnel
• May include research assistants, postdocs, collaborators or consultants.

I Have Already Created an Account in CITI

• Visit the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website.
• Login with your username and password.
• On your home page, under “Georgetown University Courses” select “Add a course or update learner groups.”
• On the next page, scroll down and select ‘yes’ to Question 5 – Conflict of Interest; then click Submit to enroll.
• Follow the prompts to complete the tutorial and brief quizzes.
• You may print a completion certificate for your own records. The system will provide ORO with a report of your training.

I Need to Set Up an Account in CITI

• Visit the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website.
• Register and create your own username and password. Please use your Georgetown University email address.
• Select Georgetown University as your institution.
• Select ‘yes’ to Question 5 – Conflict of Interest, then click Submit to enroll.
• Follow the prompts to complete the tutorial and brief quizzes.
• You may print a completion certificate for your own records. The system will provide ORO with a report of your training.

What Agencies are Part of the Public Health Service (PHS)?

PHS includes the federal agencies and cooperative groups below.