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Financial Conflict of Interest

The Financial Conflict of Interest in Research program supports the UConn (Storrs campus, four regional campuses, the School of Social Work, and the School of Law) research community with understanding and complying with University requirements related to financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs) in research.

Who is an Investigator?

  • Investigator is defined as “The principal investigator and any other person (regardless of title or position) who is responsible for the design, conduct or reporting of research or educational activities*. This may include faculty and research staff (research associates and assistants, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, visiting scientists engaged in research conducted at the University) as well as consultants.” *For DOE funded projects, the definition states that the Principal Investigator or any other person, regardless of title or position, who is responsible for the purpose, design, conduct, or reporting of a project.

What are my responsibilities as a UConn investigator?

  • Review and be knowledgeable of the UConn policy on financial conflicts of interest in research, including the definition of Significant Financial Interest (SFI) and how it applies to you.
  • Promptly and fully disclose all SFIs, including those of a spouse or dependent child, that reasonably relate to your institutional responsibilities; and, if applicable, comply with FCOI management or mitigation plans.
  • Submit a financial disclosure within the UConn InfoEd External Interests / FCOI system: https://www.infoed.uconn.edu/
    • Annually while engaged in research activities;
    • Within 30 days of acquiring or discovering a new SFI;
    • At the time of submission of a new research proposal for funding (a new disclosure is required unless a current disclosure has previously been made);
    • Prior to expending research funds (a new disclosure is required unless a current disclosure has previously been made).
  • Understand that completion and submission of the financial disclosure form also satisfies the FCOI training requirement, as required under federal regulations and UConn policy.
  • Investigators, coordinators, and persons obtaining consent must also disclose any project-specific SFIs pursuant to UConn Human Subjects Protection Program Institutional Review Board (IRB) policies.

What other resources are available to help Investigators?