Guiding Principles

Conflict of interest/commitment situations should be avoided.

• According to the university's conflict of interest/commitment policies, faculty should disclose any anticipated consulting or outside employment activities.
  
  
• Approval of any research study involving human subjects AND has a Conflict of Interest Issue will be delayed until the Conflict of Interest issue is resolved.
  
  
• Written conflict of interest management plans must be approved by the university's Objectivity in Research Committee prior to beginning the research.
  
  
• Outside activities should not interfere with performance of the primary responsibilities expected of a full-time faculty member or researcher, and must not exceed 20% of the full-time obligation.
  
  
• Management or consulting roles in an outside private business generally are not acceptable, particularly in cases that require the faculty member/researcher to assume major responsibilities, such as day-to-day oversight of the company.
  
  
• Faculty/researchers involved in outside consulting or business activities that involve research must establish clear boundaries or "fire walls" to differentiate University responsibilities from their outside responsibilities.
  
  
• Faculty must disclose all potentially patentable inventions of IP created or discovered in the course of their university activities. Inventions are university property and the inventor will share royalties according to The University of Texas System policies: http://www.utsystem.edu/mis/ogc/intellectualproperty/ip.htm.
  
  
• Faculty and researchers must make university obligations known to external entities with whom business is contracted and provide them with relevant University policies governing inventions and discoveries.

The university's teaching and research environment fosters positive learning opportunities for students and preserves free discourse and dissemination of research results.

• Research conducted by a faculty member/researcher may not involve "works for hire" but must be judged as advancing scholarship and knowledge.
  
  
• Preferential access to research results, materials, or products generated from university teaching or research activities may not be provided to an outside entity for the personal financial gain of a faculty member/researcher, except in cases in which appropriate licensing arrangements have been developed and approved according to university policies.
  
  
• When appropriate, research should provide learning opportunities for undergraduate and/or graduate students.
  
  
• The university will not accept limits placed on the freedom to publish, except for short periods of delay that permit a sponsor to comment or to permit filing of patent applications in coordination with the university's patent policies.
  
  
• Selection of students for participation in a research project should not be inappropriately influenced by the interests of a sponsoring company, including a company in which the supervising professor may have a significant financial interest.
  
  
• Involvement of university students, including postdoctoral fellows, in outside professional activities of a faculty member/researcher can be beneficial, but their educational experience should not be diminished or diverted in any way.
  
  
• Student involvement in outside professional activities of a faculty member/researcher must be disclosed, reviewed, and approved in writing in advance to assure that exploitation or unreasonable interference with university duties and responsibilities, including coursework, does not occur.
  
  
• Students, associates, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff should have access to information about sources of funds that support their research.
  
  
• Students should not be involved in or employed by any company in which their thesis or dissertation supervisor has a substantial financial interest and, therefore, a potential conflict of interest.
  
  
• Additional federal requirements may be imposed on international students related to their immigration and naturalization status and involvement in the research of faculty members/researchers.