What potential financial conflicts of interest could arise at universities in the technology transfer process, and what steps have universities taken to deal with them?
• Conflicts of time and commitment–an over-involvement of the investigator with the company to the detriment of teaching and university research obligations. Most universities have regulations regarding the faculty member’s time obligations to the university. For example, some universities state that the “academic year salary” covers 80% of the faculty member’s time during the nine months of the academic year. Faculty are free to consult “up to 20% of the time” (usually understood to be one day per week) during the academic year. Payment for the “summer months” is often under a separate, negotiated arrangement. The issue is further controlled by regular reporting of the investigator’s consulting and other outside commitments. • Misuse of university resources on the company’s behalf–this includes university facilities, equipment, supplies and involvement of graduate students and other paid researchers. University policies should make it clear that work done at the university must be p
Related Questions
- What potential financial conflicts of interest could arise at universities in the technology transfer process, and what steps have universities taken to deal with them?
- What is the 3-step process for identifying and resolving conflicts of interest and disclosing financial relationships to the learners?
- Why would a researcher or other member of the SU community want to participate in the technology transfer process?
