NSF Safe and Inclusive Working Environments for Off-Campus and Off-Site Research

Overview

It is NSF policy (see Chapter XI.A.1.g.) to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted. NSF’s policy recognizes that a community effort is essential to eliminate sexual and other forms of harassment in science and to build inclusive scientific climates where people can learn, grow, and thrive. Accordingly, for each proposal that proposes to conduct research off-campus or off site, the AOR must complete a certification that the organization has a plan in place for that proposal that describes how the following types of behavior will be addressed:

1. Abuse of any person, including, but not limited to, harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form; or
2. Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly.

This plan should also identify steps the proposing organization will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment, e.g., trainings; processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct; and field support, such as mentor/mentee support mechanisms, regular check-ins, and/or developmental events.

Communications within team and to the organization should be considered in the plan, minimizing singular points within the communications pathway (e.g., a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone), and any special circumstances such as the involvement of multiple organizations or the presence of third parties in the working environment should be taken into account. The process or method for making incident reports as well as how any reports received will be resolved should also be accounted for.

The organization’s plan for the proposal must be disseminated to individuals participating in the off-campus or off-site research prior to departure. Proposers should not submit the plan to NSF for review.

Instructions for NSF Principal Investigators

For any National Science Foundation (NSF) research that proposes to conduct research off-campus or off-site (defined below), there must be a plan in place to ensure a safe and inclusive work environment. UNO requires such a plan for NSF-funded projects that are subject to the requirement, prior to award. Each PI is responsible for:

• Using the UNO Safe and Inclusive Working Environment for Off-Campus or Off-Site Research Plan template, developed and saved by the PI at the proposal stage;
• Providing the plan to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) prior to the NSF award being setup; and
• Implementing the plan (see, NSF Proposal and Award Policies Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter II. E.9.).

If an NSF directorate requires the plan as part of the proposal documents, the PI must use the UNO template and does not need to provide the plan to OSP separate from the proposal.

Subaward and Collaborative Proposals:

• If UNO is a subaward recipient on an NSF-funded project with off-campus/off-site research, the UNO PI is not required to complete the plan. Rather, UNO relies on the lead institution to provide and implement the plan.
• For Collaborative Proposals, if a Safe and Inclusive Working Environment Plan is required to be submitted with the proposal, the lead institution will submit one plan for all off-campus or off-site research. If a plan is not required to be submitted with the proposal, each institution is responsible for their own plan for any off-campus or offsite research their organization is facilitating.

What the Plan Should Address

For all NSF proposals that include off-site or off-campus research, the administrative home (school/college/institute/center) must attest there is a plan in place for that proposal. OSP requested the UNO Safe and Inclusive Working Environment Off-Campus or Office Site Research Plan template. a two-page supplementary document, to be used. The plan must describe how the following types of behavior will be addressed:

1. Abuse of any person, including but not limited to harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form; and
2. Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly.

For items 1 and 2 we recommend you reference the University Key Policies and Procedures section down below.

The plan must also address:

1. A brief description of the field setting and unique challenges for the team;
2. The steps the proposing organization will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or offsite working environment, including processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct, trainings, mentor/mentee mechanisms and field support that might include regular check-ins, and/or developmental events; 
3. Communication processes within the offsite team and to the organization(s) that minimize singular points within the communication pathway (e.g., there should not be a single person overseeing access to a single satellite phone); and 
4. The organizational mechanisms that will be used for reporting, responding to, and resolving issues of harassment if they arise.  

The plan will be part of the NSF merit review process under Broader Impacts. Reviewers will evaluate plans on the following:

• Is there a compelling plan (including procedures, training, and communication processes) to establish, nurture, and maintain inclusive off-campus or offsite working environment(s)?
• Does the proposed plan identify and adequately address the unique challenges for the team and the specific off-campus or offsite setting(s)?
• Are the organizational mechanisms to be used for reporting, responding to, and resolving issues of harassment, should they occur, clearly outlined?

Definition of Off-campus or Offsite Research

For the purposes of this NSF requirement, NSF defines off-campus or offsite research as data/information/samples being collected off-campus or offsite, such as fieldwork and research activities on vessels and aircraft (PAPPG, Chapter 2: D. 2. a. Proposal Contents). UNO further defines off-campus or offsite research for this requirement with the following:

• Data/information/samples being collected off-campus or offsite, including at UNO owned locations away from main campus, for more than three consecutive days and/or research activities that include an overnight stay;
• Data/information/samples being collected off-campus or offsite by any project team member, including team members from subrecipient organizations performing research outside their primary place of performance;
• Meetings and conferences that do not include data/information/samples being collected are not considered off-campus or offsite research;
• Data/information/samples collected by subrecipients or collaborative organizations at their primary place of performance is not considered off-campus or offsite research and does not need to be included in this project plan.

Key Policies and Procedures

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. UNO is committed to preventing and addressing discrimination and harassment and has established policies and procedures to stop, prevent, and remedy discrimination and harassment.

University of Nebraska’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, Procedures for Sexual Misconduct Reports Against Employees, Procedures for Sexual Misconduct Reports Against Students, and Procedures for Discrimination Reports, establish prohibited conduct and due process procedures. Workplace Violence Policy states UNO will not tolerate any type of workplace violence committed by or against employees. UNO’s Student Code of Conduct establishes Standards of Responsible Conduct for students.

These policies apply to all UNO educational programs and activities, to include those programs and research activities occurring off-campus or offsite.

All UNO employees are expected to report alleged discrimination or harassment (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and stalking), protected class discrimination, harassment, or related retaliation to UNO’s Title IX Coordinator or Office of Civil Rights Compliance.

• The reporting obligation applies regardless of whether the member of the UNO community is the person who was subjected to the misconduct, or the person accused of the misconduct.
• The reporting obligation applies regardless of where or when an incident occurred, including if it occurred off campus and/or before they were a member of the campus community.
• The reporting obligation applies regardless of how the information was conveyed to an employee (whether spoken, written, or through a third party).

The University meets NSF requirements, as well as its own expectations, by using the policies and procedures cited above, and as further amplified to cover special circumstances as dictated by the PI in the project-specific information shown in this document. Principal Investigators are responsible for distributing a copy of the developed plan to each participant in an off-campus or off-site research project prior to departure or involvement in the off-campus activity.