UTMB Institutional Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest

Institutional COI

Overview

An institutional conflict of interest may arise when the financial interests of UTMB or of its institutional leaders, such as members of UTMB's Executive Committee, School Deans, Department Chairs, and others, have the potential to compromise the integrity of institutional decision-making.

Such conflicts may occur where UTMB has a financial or business relationship at the institutional level with an external entity that may bring financial gain to the institution or any of its divisions, departments, or other units. Additionally, a conflict may arise when an institutional leader to cause bias in the conduct of research being performed at the institution. Additionally, a conflict may arise if such leaders serve on the boards of organizations that have significant commercial transactions with the university. The existence of, or appearance of, such conflicts can lead to actual bias, or suspicion about possible bias, in the review or conduct of research at UTMB. When an institutional conflict of interest is identified, a plan will be implemented to manage, reduce, or eliminate the institutional conflict.

Potential institutional conflicts of interest typically may arise in one of four areas:

When a company that has a financial or business relationship with UTMB also donates a gift to the University;
When UTMB owns equity in a company and the company has a financial or business relationship with the University;
When UTMB licenses an invention to an entity that also has a financial or business relationship with the University; and
When a vendor or potential vendor also has a financial or business relationship with the University.

Policy

Click for the full policy - IHOP 6.5.4 Institutional Conflicts of Interest

Definition

Institutional Officials are those individuals, including those in an interim or temporary position, who have direct authority over faculty appointments, salaries, promotions, and/or allocation of institutional resources, such as assignment of graduate students or other trainees, funding or space, or faculty who are conducting human subjects research. Such individuals include, but are not limited to, members of UTMB's Executive Committee, School Deans, Department Chairs, and Vice Chairs/Administrators. Financial interests of the President are disclosed through a process conducted by the Texas Ethics Commission.