During the last six months of fiscal year 2023, the National Science Foundation (NSF) proposed debarring three agency-supported investigators for research misconduct, all of whom appealed the punishment, according to the agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).^[1] They are among the cases RRC discussed in the March issue.^[2]

NSF also finalized three-year, governmentwide debarments for two others for misuse of university and federal funds and for charging summer salary while employed by a foreign institution. Of note: in both cases, the universities returned award funds to NSF, as did a third institution.

In addition to investigations into research misconduct—defined as fabrication, falsification or plagiarism—OIG probes possible problems with program integrity, such as “misappropriation and misuse of NSF funds, false statements in documents submitted to NSF, and NSF employee misconduct.”

OIG also investigates “retaliation against whistleblowers, violations of human and animal subject regulations, violations of peer review confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and employee misconduct.” These are referred to as administrative investigations.