Biomedical research is conducted in a complex environment that may involve multiple constituencies with different and often conflicting motivations and goals. Overarching goals driving scientists, academic institutions, and non-profit research sponsors are the advancement of knowledge and improvement of health, but financial incentives and pressures for research funding, publications, and promotions may influence the pursuit of these goals and create conflicts for investigators and institutions. Commercial interests of for-profit research sponsors and licensees may conflict with academically oriented goals, and these entities may seek to restrict the direction of research projects, dissemination of knowledge, and/or accessibility of research resources.
UTHSCH is committed to ensuring conflicting research incentives, pressures, and interests do not:
bias the design, conduct or reporting of research
jeopardize the protection of human research subjects
detract from employees’ teaching, research, clinical or administrative responsibilities
inappropriately influence the research training of students or fellows
result in improper transfers of state resources to research sponsors or licensees.
This commitment is fulfilled through open disclosures by investigators of potential conflicts to appropriate institutional officials who, if necessary, work with investigators to manage, reduce and/or eliminate the conflicts. Responsible management of research conflicts is a shared responsibility of UTHSCH’s investigators and their supervisors, research administrators and committees, and the President.
Financial Interests
UTHSCH’s policy and processes to deal with research conflicts related to financial interests are administered by the Executive Vice President for Research Affairs and must meet federal and State requirements. Investigators must disclose significant financial interests that could reasonably appear to be affected by the investigators’ research, and they also must disclose financial interests and key positions in research sponsors and entities licensing their intellectual property.
Financial interests/relationships of investigators’ immediate families are subject to the disclosure requirements, and financial interests include anything of monetary value (payments for services, equity interests, intellectual property rights). Disclosures are reviewed by UTHSCH’s Research Conflicts of Interest Committee, and, if conflicts exist, the Committee recommends if they should be managed, reduced or eliminated.
Potential conflicts of interest in research involving human research subjects should generally be avoided. Financial interests and relationships with research sponsors/licensees should also be disclosed in publications and presentations. The disclosure requirements and review processes are discussed in detail in the institution’s Policy and Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest.
