Introduction

Institutional Conflicts of Interest (ICOI) are situations where a financial interest of a university (e.g. investments held by the university in a company) or a Covered Official has the potential to influence the design, conduct, or reporting of research. In such cases, it is necessary to ensure that the interests of the university, the researcher, and third parties are all taken into account.

What is an Institutional Conflict of Interest?

An Institutional Conflict of Interest (ICOI) occurs when a financial interest of the university (e.g., investments held by the university in a company) or a Covered Official has the potential to directly and significantly affect the design, conduct, or reporting of research. For example, such a conflict could arise if the university had a financial stake in a company and the company sponsored research at the university or manufactured products to be studied or tested at the university or under its oversight.

The university may also have a financial interest in a third-party sponsor of research, such as a pharmaceutical company. In such cases, the university may be influenced to select the sponsor’s products for research purposes. Additionally, there may be a potential conflict if the university has a financial interest in a research subject, such as a gene therapy or diagnostics company.

Consequences of ICOI

The potential consequences of ICOI include, but are not limited to, a compromised research integrity, a potential corruption of scientific findings, and a possible breach of ethical standards. The university must ensure that any financial interests held by the university or its Covered Officials do not affect the design, conduct, or reporting of research.

How is an ICOI Managed?

In order to ensure that the interests of the university, the researcher, and third parties are all taken into account, it is important to have a comprehensive institutional conflict of interest policy and procedures in place. Such policies and procedures can help to identify and manage conflicts of interest, and ensure that research is conducted ethically and without any bias.

The policy should include detailed guidelines on how to identify ICOIs and how to manage them. The institution should also disclose any situation in which a financial interest of the university or a Covered Official might have the potential to influence the research.

Conclusion

The conclusion from this article is that an Institutional Conflict of Interest (ICOI) occurs when a financial interest of the university (e.g., investments held by the university in a company) or a Covered Official has the potential to directly and significantly affect the design, conduct, or reporting of research. It is important to have a comprehensive institutional conflict of interest policy and procedures in place to ensure that research is conducted ethically and without any bias.