A new research misconduct rule for U.S. federal supported research

By Maha DAVID, project officer 

On September 17, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Final Rule on Public Health Service (PHS) Policies on Research Misconduct, which clarifies the previous 2005 regulation by providing:  

• Clearer compliance and research misconduct processes for institutions to follow 

• Clarifications of commonly used terms 

• A streamlined appeals process for respondents who wish to challenge ORI's findings of research misconduct and administrative actions. 

The U.S. research misconduct rule applies to all research supported by PHS, e.g. NIH, as well as to submitted grant applications. As a recipient of NIH funds, Institut Pasteur must maintain institutional policies and procedures for handling allegations of research misconduct in compliance with U.S. federal regulations. To this end, Institut Pasteur is implementing procedures that will be applicable starting on January 1st, 2026. This policy, set up as a complement to Institut Pasteur's Scientific Integrity Charter, applies exclusively to research receiving funding from the U.S. PHS, such as NIH, as well as to grant applications submitted to it. 

Organizational notice n°148, applicable as of January 1st, 2026, formalizes its implementation. Any allegation of research misconduct must be reported to Institut Pasteur's Research Integrity Officer - Référent à l'Intégrité Scientifique (RIS), who is responsible for examining and handling the case in accordance with the procedures described in the process. 

The policy and procedures for handling allegations of research misconduct and a flowchart summarizing the whole process are accessible online on e-Pasteur Grants Office page: link. 

Contacts:  

• For allegations of research misconduct: RIS, ris[at]pasteur.fr

• For information on U.S. compliance and research misconduct: gointernational[at]pasteur.fr