The Board of Trustees has approved, on an interim basis, a conflict of interest policy as required by Federal mandate. Every effort has been made to shape the policy in such a way as to meet the guidelines of the Federal mandate and related ethical considerations without discouraging entrepreneurial initiatives. Currently, all external proposals, patent disclosures, etc., must be accompanied by a completed Conflict of Interest Disclosure (COI) Form. As also required by Federal mandate, (1) for multi-year externally funded projects the COI form must be resubmitted annually, and (2) any change in an investigator's status which creates the potential for a conflict of interest must be reported immediately.

The form is available on the SPAR website as is the text of the policy. Copies are also available from the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research.