We also regard this as a bad situation. We require a conflict of interest disclosure from invenstigators for each sponsored project funded by a commercial organizations. If it turns out there is also a consulting agreement, we question the investigator very closely to determine if the work under the consulting agreement and sponsored agreement are linked or related. If so, we will not sign the sponsored agreement (this is assuming the investigator would not offer to treminate the consulting arrangement). If the work is related, there is really no way to effectively "manage" the conflict of interest -- and if you can't manage it, then you have to avoid it.

Steve

Doug Wilkerson wrote:

> Do any of you have language in your institutional Consulting Policy or Sponsored Projects Policy that specifically deals with the issue of whether a faculty member's research may be sponsored by a company for which s/he simultaneously serves as a consultant?  My own bias is that this is a VERY bad situation, since the intellectual property terms, for example, in most personal consulting agreements (the company owns it) collide "head-on" with intellectual policy terms in most institutional research agreements (the institution owns it), but I would be interested in the views of others on this issue.  I especially would be interested in seeing how other institutions have dealt with this issue in their policies, i.e., either to prohibit it or to "build a box" within which to permit it.
>
> If you would like to respond to me directly, I will post the responses without institutional or personal identifiers.
>
> thanks,
> doug
>
> Doug Wilkerson, Ph.D.              Phone:   (419) 383-4252
> Assoc. V.P. For Research          Fax:   (419) 383-4252
> Professor of Pharmacology         E-mail:   xxxxxx@mco.edu
> Research & Grants Admin.          Web: www.mco.edu/research
> Block Health Sci. Bldg., Rm. 148
> 3035 Arlington Ave.
> Toledo, OH 43614-5804
>
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--
Stephen Erickson, Director
Office of Research Administration
Boston College
McGuinn Hall 600
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Telephone: 617-552-3344
On-Campus Fax:  2-0747
Fax to my computer:  413-895-8328

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