Conflicts of Interest @ GT

The Georgia Institute of Technology has adopted policies on institutional and financial conflicts of interest. These policies are in accord with the requirements of the National Science Foundation and the US Public Health Service, including the National Institutes of Health, which state that institutions conducting research sponsored by those agencies shall provide for the disclosure and review of investigators’ interests that are related to the research. Following are links to Georgia Tech’s conflict of interest policies, Sponsor Specific Guidelines, Case Studies & Training Slides as well as a brief Question & Answer section:

Georgia Tech Conflict of Interest Policies:
Links annotated with an * are maintained by the Office of the Provost. Links to these pages will open in a new browser window.

• Conflict of Interest, Consulting and Disclosure
  • Conflict of Interest On Line System *
  • Training slides for Conflict of Interest On Line System (Annual Disclosure)
  • Training slides for Conflict of Interest On Line System (Research Project Disclosure)
• Faculty Handbook -  CoI Section is located under “General Institute Policies” Section 38: This section has been revised but not yet posted to the Handbook – Please see  Conflict of Interest, Consulting and Disclosure for the updated policy.  A side-by-side comparison is here.

University System of Georgia Statement of Principles Regarding Conflict of Interest

Sponsor Specific Guidelines and Policies

• NIH Guide to Objectivity in Research
• NSF Investigator Financial Disclosure Policy

Case Studies and Training Slides

• Association of American Universities Case Study (From COGR site)
• Conflict of Interest presentation (ppt)

Commonly Asked Questions

• QUESTION: Are graduate students permitted to work on a faculty member’s consulting project or other outside company activities?
  • ANSWER: No. This scenario demonstrates the type of potential conflicts of interest that can occur. In this case, the student may feel inappropriate pressure with regard to the company’s activities and with his own school responsibilities. Whether intended or not, this scenario could create the appearance of impropriety or undue pressure on the student when the student’s academic achievement is graded as poor by the faculty member whose outside interests are involved.
• QUESTION: If a faculty member has a financial conflict of interest, is it ethical for him/her to conduct further research involving human subjects?
  • ANSWER: It can be. The financial conflict of interest must be appropriately managed through GTRC, and it must be disclosed during the subject’s consenting process. The Institutional Review Board must have an opportunity to review these arrangements, but the IRB is accustomed to approving such activities when they are properly managed and disclosed.