Program agenda:
- Brief Anatomy of Consulting Agreements
- Research Integrity and Conflicts of Interest
- Conflicts of Interest Policies
- Conflicts of Commitment Policies
- Management of Conflicts
- University Participation in Consulting Relationships?
- Common Issues and Pitfalls in Consulting Agreements
- Solutions to Implement
Technology Transfer Offices have seen a dramatic increase in faculty engagements with private sector entities, often involving a consulting or other direct agreement that provides the company with access to the innovator to further develop a technology or company.
Simultaneous with this trend is the ever-present need for universities to maintain integrity in research, particularly with regard to conflicts of interest. This overlap — of consulting engagements with the university’s COI concerns — requires careful management and oversight in order to work effectively. Policies and procedures should provide clear structure and implementation, from oversight in the actual agreements to effective conflict of interest management frameworks.
While these potential conflicts are often managed by academic units, TTOs typically have a unique relationship with both parties of the agreement and must take steps to understand these agreements while coordinating and conveying policies, procedures, and mission clarity to faculty inventors and to the companies it engages with to avoid common issues and pitfalls.
We’ve teamed up with attorney K. Lance Anderson to provide you with clear guidance on the critical policies and procedures need to mitigate COIs associated with your faculty’s consulting agreements.
