UW Research
Forms and Templates

Safe & Inclusive Working Environment Plan for Off-site Research

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Effective January 30, 2023, NSF proposals with off-campus or off-site work must certify that a Safe and Inclusive Working Environment for Off-Campus and Off-Site Research Plan will be in place for that project.

For this requirement, 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.

For any off-site or off-campus work on a proposed NSF project, the Principal Investigator must establish a plan that describes how the following types of behavior will be addressed:

  • 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
  • Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly;
  • Identify steps the proposing principal investigator(s)/project team will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment.

When  the specific Funding Opportunity (FOA) requires, this plan should be submitted to NSF at time of proposal.

In all cases, even if not required at time of proposal, the PI is responsible for ensuring any individuals working at an off-site or off-campus location receive a copy of the plan before work begins at the location.

A PI may develop their own plan meeting the NSF requirements, or use this fillable UW template developed for this purpose.

All affected employees must have access to this plan and related resources before beginning off-campus work.

This Plan and all UW personnel are subject to University policies, including but not limited to:

Codes of Conduct Resources:

Codes of Conduct Resources from the AdvanceGeo Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College