Externally sponsored research is a vital part of UMBC’s mission. As this activity grows in sophistication and complexity, it increasingly intersects with entrepreneurial ventures creating the potential for conflicting interests.
Maryland law and USM policy encourage public higher education institutions to promote economic development in the State and increase their financial resources through private sector relationships.
In addition, Federal funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation (“NSF”) and the Public Health Service (“PHS”) encourage economic development. Moreover, they have taken a lead role in establishing standards to ensure there is no reasonable perception that the design, conduct, or reporting of research funded under PHS or NSF grants or cooperative agreements will be biased by any conflicting financial interest of an investigator. Other sponsors have applied the same standards to their awards.
Relationships covered under these standards may include any type of reimbursement or payment, ownership through stocks or options by the investigator or the investigator’s family, as well as collaborative research and development, or commercial application of institution-owned intellectual property and creative works.
UMBC has an interim policy to meet these regulatory requirements. If you are a PHS funded researcher, please review the UMBC FAQs related to the revised conflict of interest regulations; then, go directly to the procedures for implementing this policy.
At this time, other researchers (non-PHS funded) are still required to follow the current UMBC Policy on Individual Conflicts of Interest in Research & Product Development and its procedures.
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Please contact the Office for Research Protections and Compliance at 410-455-2737 or coi@umbc.edu with any questions.
last updated: 11/05/2012