How quickly are disclosures reviewed and acted upon?
The Grants and Contracts Office, in conjunction with the Program for the Protection of Human Subjects, alerts the Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research Committee when a disclosure form is received. Often, if the financial interests do not meet the threshold of significance and the study does not involve human subjects, the case can be reviewed and approved by a subgroup of the Committee that meets weekly. However, the more risk posed by the financial interests or by the nature of the research, the more scrutiny is required, and the greater the likelihood that the full Committee will need to review and discuss the case. Frequently an individual with financial interests will be asked to talk with or meet with the Committee Chair or with a Committee subgroup to clarify issues and help expedite the process. The full Committee typically meets monthly to review cases.
