About Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest, or perceptions of conflicts of interest, can occur in a variety of forms. This web site is devoted to the management of situations that can arise when university employees have external affiliations that have the potential to influence, or could be perceived as influencing, their decision-making in their university roles. The influence is generally in ways that could lead to personal gain (financial or non-financial) for the individual or immediate family members.
Conflicts of interest are a normal part of an active and vibrant university. With the increasing emphasis of universities on outreach and economic development, more university personnel are becoming involved with external entities or starting their own companies. The university strongly encourages these activities. However, they bring with them conflicts of interest or perceptions of conflicts of interest that need management to avoid harm to the persons or entities involved.
The negative impacts of unmanaged or inadequately managed conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest can include:
- The use or perception of use of state resources for personal benefit or the benefit of immediate family members.
- The use or perception of use of the employee's university position to influence university business in a way that benefits one's self or immediate family members.
- Confusion in the ownership of intellectual property.
- Questions about the integrity of one's university research or scholarly activity.
- Harm to vulnerable populations, such as graduate students and research subjects.
Perceived conflicts of interest can be as harmful as real conflicts of interest. Universities manage both by the disclosure of the conflict (or perceived conflict) followed by the creation of a Conflict of Interest Management Plan that specifies how the individual will keep his or her non-university activities from causing harm.
Disclosure and management are needed whether the non-university relationship is with a for-profit entity, a not-for-profit entity, or a charitable foundation. For example, it is a conflict of interest for a researcher to accept a grant from a non-profit foundation in which he or she has a management role. It is also a conflict of interest to accept grant funds from an external entity for which one consults.
All full-time faculty and P&S staff are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest annually, or whenever their situation changes, whether they think they have a conflict of interest or not. Using the Access Plus system, faculty and P&S staff should go to the Employee tab and click on "COI Disclosure" and fill in the Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.
Answers to the questions will be forwarded to the individual's department chair/unit director, and then to representatives of the Executive Vice President and Provost to evaluate the situation. If a conflict of interest is possible, they will contact the individual to arrange further discussions and, if needed, develop an appropriate Conflict of Interest Management Plan.
Contact for More Information
- ISU Conflict of Interest Policy: Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, Phone: (515) 294-9591, E-mail:
- Conflict of Interest in Research, Consulting, or Sponsored Funding: Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Phone: (515) 294-8700, E-mail:
- Conflict of Interest in Procurement: Director of Purchasing, Phone: (515) 294-8757, E-mail:
