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Patents Corner
Conflict of Interest
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by Becky Mahurin
In the area of sponsored research and faculty activities, conflict of interest is one of the least understood issues. Having an actual or perceived conflict of interest is not unusual when faculty work closely with industry. It is also NOT an indication of wrongdoing. It is merely a situation that may need to be disclosed and managed.
A conflict of interest means that one "relationship" or situation may bias a faculty member in another "relationship" with a company ( or even a competitor of the company). As a public academic institution, MSU is relied upon to provide non-biased research results to the public. So any bias or perceived bias can damage our credibility.
Faculty, particularly when working with a small, local company, may be involved in more than one way with that company. This may lead to a potential conflict of interest.
Possible examples of conflict-of-interest situations include:
- Having sponsored research from a company in which one has equity or holds a Board seat;
- Personally owning intellectual property for which one is seeking sponsored research;
- Performing sponsored research for a company for which one also consults;
- Purchasing products/supplies on behalf of the University from a company in which one has equity. The above list is not all inclusive. It does include areas for which the National Science Foundation and the Public Health Service have specific policies - equity ownership and investment in companies from which one has sponsored research. MSU has adopted the guidelines used by these agencies. Specifically, if a researcher has greater than 5 percent equity or greater than $10,000 investment in a company from which he or she receives research dollars, then this must be reported to your institution. We have tried to make this easy by placing a question on the MSU proposal clearance form regarding this.
It is MSU's intention to protect both the researcher and the University from criticism of conflict of interest. The best first step in that process is disclosure. Should you have a question regarding a situation, please talk to me. I can help you clarify if a potential conflict exists and work through with you if management is necessary. We can almost always manage the conflict and thus meet the needs of the company, the researcher and the institution.
Becky Mahurin
Director of the Technology Transfer Office at MSU
© 2000 Montana State University-Bozeman
Discovery April 1998
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