other · HHS-OPHS

Ensuring Research Integrity – Research on Research Integrity Program (RRI)

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health · IR-ORI-26-001

Closed

Award Range

$150K – $250K

Total Program Funding

$500K

Expected Awards

Deadline

July 27, 2026

GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview

HHS's Office of Research Integrity (ORI) is funding empirical research ON research integrity — studies that investigate why scientific misconduct happens and what prevents it. Two awards of $150K-$250K each ($500K total). This is meta-research: you're studying the research system itself. Topics include factors driving misconduct, effectiveness of integrity training, reporting mechanisms, and how AI affects research integrity (both positively and negatively).

Who Should Apply

Universities, research institutions, nonprofits, or even for-profit research firms with expertise in research ethics, meta-science, organizational behavior, or science policy. Must be able to conduct empirical (data-driven) studies, not just theoretical work.

Who Should NOT Apply

Organizations wanting to study anything other than research integrity itself, clinical researchers (this isn't for your clinical trial), institutions without research ethics expertise, or anyone proposing opinion pieces rather than empirical studies.

Key Requirements (Plain English)

•Must conduct empirical research (not theoretical/opinion)
•Must focus on research integrity and compliance with 42 C.F.R. part 93
•Must address at least one focus area: root causes, policy effectiveness, reporting mechanisms, or AI impacts
•Must be a domestic entity (broad eligibility including for-profits)
•No cost-sharing required
•No clinical trials

💡 GrantQuick Tip

The AI angle is the hot topic here. ORI specifically added 'how AI acts as a potential driver of research integrity or misconduct' as a focus area. If you can propose a study on AI-generated data fabrication, AI-assisted plagiarism detection, or how LLMs are changing the misconduct landscape, you'll stand out from the traditional 'survey researchers about their ethics training' proposals. Only 2 awards — make your methodology rigorous and your question timely.

Competitiveness: High — only 2 awards of $250K max. Niche field (research integrity meta-research) with a dedicated community of established researchers.

What This Grant Funds

We seek applications to conduct empirical research on societal, organizational, behavioral, group, and individual factors that affect integrity in research, focusing on the identification of the root causes of research misconduct and driving factors for research integrity in compliance with 42 C.F.R. part 93. The projects funded under this opportunity must aim to research any combination of the following focus areas: 1) Explore the financial, cultural, institutional, and individual factors; 2) Assess the effectiveness of policies and training; 3) Investigate reporting and response mechanisms; and 4) Examine how artificial intelligence (AI) acts as a potential driver of research integrity or a risk factor for research misconduct.

Attachments

PDF

IR-ORI-26-001 Research on Research Integrity.pdf

IR-ORI-26-001_Research_on_Research_Integrity.pdf

Who Can Apply

Eligible Applicant Types

Other Tribal OrganizationsPrivate Colleges & UniversitiesNonprofits without 501(c)(3)County GovernmentsIndependent School DistrictsSpecial District Governments501(c)(3) NonprofitsFor-Profit OrganizationsCity/Township GovernmentsPublic Colleges & UniversitiesFederally Recognized Tribal GovernmentsPublic And Indian Housing AuthoritiesState GovernmentsSmall Businesses

Funding Details

Minimum Award: $150K
Maximum Award: $250K
Total Program Funding: $500K
Expected Number of Awards: 2
Cost Sharing Required?: No
Funding Instrument: grant

Key Dates

Posted: June 25, 2026

Application Deadline: July 27, 2026 (0 days remaining)

Applications must be submitted electronically no later than 6:00 pm Eastern Time.

Agency Contact

Armineh Ghazarian Armineh.Ghazarian@hhs.gov

Armineh.Ghazarian@hhs.gov

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