UNITED STATES

New policy to protect research community from harassment
The National Science Foundation in the United States has taken the next steps in its agency-wide effort to ensure the research and learning environments it supports are free from harassment, publishing a term and condition that requires awardee organisations to report findings and determinations of sexual harassment, as well as establishing a secure online portal for submitting harassment notifications, reports the National Science Foundation.On 21 September, the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, announced the new condition for awards, to become effective 30 days after publication, that will require awardee organisations to notify the agency of any findings or determinations that an NSF-funded principal investigator or co-principal investigator committed harassment, including sexual harassment or sexual assault.
It also requires awardee organisations to notify the agency of the placement of the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on administrative leave, or of the imposition of any administrative action relating to a harassment or sexual assault finding or investigation.
Full report on the National Science Foundation site