You have been informed by the Conflict of Interest in Research Office that you have a financial conflict of interest related to research you are conducting. What happens next?

The first thing to know is: DO NOT PANIC.

Financial conflicts of interest are common at research universities across the country. Academic researchers and industry have a long history of collaborating, and these collaborations can provide mutual benefit by contributing  to a university's research mission and helping to focus the research emphasis of industry. 

More importantly, universities are obligated to fuel economic development and transfer discoveries to the private sector.  Universities commercialize their technologies by licensing discoveries to established companies or to companies started by academic inventors ("faculty startup").    

The University of Iowa is committed to safeguarding the objectivity of its research. It seeks to minimize the actual or perceived competing influences of conflict of interest in research, and to advise faculty and staff on how to mitigate, manage, or if necessary, eliminate those conflicts.  The COIR Office strives to facilitate compliance with federal and state regulations and University policy without impeding processing and approval of awards and research protocols*.

We are here to help you, so please contact us for assistance.

*If the research involves an IRB application AND a contract for the funding source, projects will not be reviewed by the Conflict of Interest in Research Committee until the IRB application review has been completed and the contract has been properly routed to the Division of Sponsored Programs.