University COI Policies
American Universities
There is growing attention directed by academics, publics and policy makers to the benefits and risks associated with university-industry relations, and a concomitant recognition of the need to attend to conflicts of interest (COI) in the university. One widespread institutional response to this issue has been the promulgation, on the part of university administrations, of COI policies and guidelines. In the United States, the introduction of university COI policies was driven in part by federal government regulations — such as the 1995 Public Health Service policy Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research — requiring all research institutions to establish internal policies and procedures to manage COI.
| Selected university COI policies | University pages about COI |
Canadian Universities
Like their American counterparts, most Canadian universities have developed academic integrity and research ethics guidelines, as well as more focused COI policies. These policies, however, are not uniformly or comprehensively regulated by provincial or federal legislation that set out common minimum requirements (Ogbogu 2007). An exception is the management of COI related to human subjects research, which is governed by provincial legislation and national policies such as the Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Human Subjects.
| Selected university COI policies | Research Funders |