Conflict of Interest (COI) Subcommittee

Purpose

Reviews new and existing administrative requirements imposed by federal regulations and agencies related to conflicts of interest and commitment (individual and institutional). The subcommittee emphasizes projects that provide the community with tools to reduce administrative burden and streamline operations, as well as identifying promising practices already in use.  The subcommittee also undertakes activities that: quantify burden, identify areas of potential burden reduction, and identify opportunities to harmonize requirements across federal agencies.

Current Activities & Initiatives

• Risk Mitigation Resource (Joint Effort w/Research Security Subcommittee)
• Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI)/ARPA-H OCI Requirements Resource

FDP Resources, Tools, and Samples

• FCOI Clearinghouse
• The sample policy and form listed below are intended to assist subrecipients who wish to create their own Financial Conflict of Interest policy. This model policy has been developed by members of the FDP who are familiar with PHS Financial Conflict of Interest requirements; however, subrecipients are independently responsible for conducting their own review to ensure that this model or an adapted version is compliant with PHS policy. Tools are available on the NIH website to assist institutions with this process, including a Checklist for Policy Development and training at NIH Financial Conflict of Interest Resources
  • FDP Model Policy
  • FDP Model Report Form
• COI Management Plan Conditions Compilation

Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) Toolkit:

• • • Organizational Conflict of Interest Training deck
    • Sample OCI review process (courtesy of University of Pittsburgh)
    • Sample language to insert for peer review vs. proposal OCI (courtesy of Stanford)
    • Sample of NASA COI mitigation plan (courtesy of Princeton)
    • Sample of NASA COI mitigation plan (courtesy of UCLA)
• Consulting Addendum FAQs

Other Resources

• NSF Disclosures Relating to the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support

• NIH Financial Conflict of Interest webpage

• Department of Energy (DOE) Interim Conflict of Interest Policy Requirements (12/20/2021)

• DoD: Countering Unwanted Foreign Influence in Department-Funded Research at Institutions of Higher Education (6/29/2023)
• NASA: Federal Register – (DRAFT) New Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment Policy for Recipients of NASA Financial Assistance Awards (1/30/2023)

FDP Meeting Session Slides & Meeting Summaries

All meeting presentations and summaries can be located at the Meetings & Listening Sessions webpage.

Contact Information

COI Subcommittee Co-chair(s):
April Pepperdine, University of Michigan
Jacquelyn Jancius, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Please contact the Conflict of Interest Subcommittee at COI@thefdp.org with any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns.