The mission of the University of Maryland (“the University”) is to cultivate a transformative educational, scholarly, and professional experience for all members of its campus community while safeguarding their personal health and well-being. The University is committed to creating a collaborative environment open to the free exchange of ideas, where scholarship, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship can flourish and where individuals can achieve their full potential.
The mission and values of the University of Maryland, College Park align with the NSF policy described in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 23-1) to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted. The NSF policy requires that the University have a plan in place to address certain behaviors should they occur while off-campus or off-site research is conducted. NSF defines off-campus or off-site research as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or off-site, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft.
PI’s are responsible for preparing the plan and completing the certification form for each proposal that proposes to conduct research off-campus or off-site. This form and the plan need to be attached to the proposal in Kuali Research, so that ORA can provide the signed certification and submit the proposal to NSF.
This process is required for NSF proposals beginning January 30, 2023. The NSF Safety & Inclusion certification form and plan attachment are in addition to any post-submission or pre-award lab/safety compliance review completed by ESSR and recorded in KR via the compliance tab. PIs may use ESSR's Field Safety and Emergency Plan template, available here, as a resource to create their plan.
