Examples of Scenarios that Create Conflicts of Interest

The following are examples of situations that create some degree of conflicts of interest.  Some of these conflicts can be managed with an appropriate management plan while others are impermissible under ECU regulations.  These relationships and activities should be disclosed in annual conflict of interest disclosures and project specific disclosures when applicable.

• Receiving consulting fees from a company while performing clinical research on the company’s technology.
• Owning stock in a company while performing research sponsored by the company.
• Conducting federally-funded research that could affect the financial interests of a company in which the investigator has a personal financial interest.
• Involving students or post-doctoral students and trainees in work that could directly benefit a company in which the faculty member supervising the students has a personal financial interest.
• Giving a company preferential access to results of ECU-conducted research while providing personal consulting services to that company.
• Participating in institutional purchasing decisions about products made by a company in which you hold stock.
• Receiving licensing milestone payments for licensed technology while performing clinical research on that licensed technology.
• Holding a clinical appointment while having an executive position at a for-profit biomedical company.
• Serving on the Board of Directors of a company while participating in clinical research on the company’s technology.
• Serving on the Board of Directors for a company while receiving sponsored research from that company.
• Accepting a gift from a vendor.
• Being involved in the decision to hire a company in which your spouse is an employee to provide services to ECU.