Blurred Lines and Gray Areas: Managing Conflicts of Interest in University Tech Transfer and Sponsored Research

Topics covered include:

• Conflict of interest policies
  • What to consider: The gray areas
  • Variations between institutions
• When to initiate a conflicts of interest review
• Conflict of interest review memo contents
• Who should provide input on a conflict of interest review
• Strategies for improving faculty COI orientation and ongoing education
• Defining individual, institutional, and imputed institutional interests
• Determining “intangible” conflicts of interest and review examples
• Managing and Reporting:
  • Conflict of commitment
  • Financial Conflict of Interest
    • Research funding sources
    • Equity stakes in start-ups
    • Family members’ financial interests

Managing conflicts of interest (COIs) between funding sources, faculty researchers, and the start-ups they create is always a tough challenge for tech transfer offices that requires much coordination between departments at the university.   Although TTOs recognize that conflicts are a given during the process of transferring IP either through a license agreement, spinoff, or other arrangement, managing and mitigating those COIs is a seemingly never ending battle.

Take a look at your university’s COI policy. Most likely, it is a one-pager, broadly written and located on the university’s website, addressing common conflicts such as disclosing roles and equity stakes in start-ups. There are clear lines drawn, but in reality very seldom do COIs involved clear lines — more often gray areas that are still fraught with hazards that can lead to bad publicity, loss of funding, and legal consequences that can nearly disable ongoing tech transfer efforts.

This one-hour program pools the knowledge of three  highly experienced COI veterans to analyze and provide solid guidance on the blurred lines of conflicts as they relate to research, funding, and start-ups in the university setting.

Program Leaders