Academic & Research COI

Icon Policy Scope

This policy applies to faculty and those involved in sponsored funding:

Applicable disclosees must complete an annual disclosure form or attest that there have been no changes since their last submission. If a potential or actual conflict of interest arises outside the annual disclosure cycle, or at the time of submission, employees must complete a new disclosure form to disclose the potential or actual conflict within ten (10) business days of its identification.

The Academic and Research Conflict of Interest Policy initiative provides for a transparent system of training, disclosure, approval, and management of financial interests and outside professional activities, which might otherwise raise concerns about conflicts of interest or conflicts of commitment with research, or other sponsored service responsibilities at the college. A conflict of interest or commitment is created when personal, financial, or outside interests could unduly influence the design, conduct, or reporting of sponsored research and funding.

 The mandates require that before engaging in and spending any sponsored funding:

1. Researchers must complete COI training every four years
2. Disclosures must be completed throughout the full life cycle of funding

Federal regulation establishes standards to ensure that there is no reasonable expectation that the design, conduct, or reporting of research and sponsored contracted work under private, local state, international, and Public Health Service (PHS) grants or cooperative agreements will be biased by an investigator’s conflicting financial or international interests. Teachers College has adopted this Academic and Research Conflict of Interest Policy to apply to all externally sponsored funding.

Review the Academic and Research Policy

 Icon Disclosure Requirements

To identify and manage conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment, disclosure of financial and international interests must be disclosed and completed within the form:

1. Annually: Must be completed at the start of every new academic year
2. Sponsored Funding Submission: Upon submission of a proposal or contract for funding, a disclosure related to the project must be updated
3. Update as needed: Within 10 days of any change to your financial and/or interests

Icon Mandates

 Mandate 1: Disclosures (completion of questionnaire) 

• Investigators must disclose all domestic and international Significant Financial Interests (SFIs) of self, spouse & dependent children as related to the investigator’s institutional research
• Conflict of Commitment

 Mandate 2: Disclose Foreign Influence Disclosures (NSPM-33 standard requirement)

• Cyber security
• Foreign travel security
• Insider threat awareness and identification
• Export controls

 Mandate 3: TC to review and determine FCOI against Proposed Sponsored Projects & Throughout the full ‘life cycle’ of Funding

• All reported disclosures must be reviewed against each of the investigators' sponsored project submissions to determine if a conflict exists against their projects

 Mandate 4: Management and reporting of FCOI:

• Management plan and reporting adherence to sponsor is required 

 Mandate 5: Institutional training of investigators

• Every four years, all faculty, Project Directors, and senior personnel engaging in research must receive training in TC COI policies

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