As defined in Pitt's Conflict of Interest Policy for Research, a "Conflict of Interest (COI) exists whenever personal, professional, commercial, or financial interests or activities outside of the University are, or have a reasonable potential of:
-
Compromising a University Member's judgment;
-
Biasing the nature or direction of scholarly research;
-
Influencing a faculty or staff member's decision or behavior with respect to teaching and student affairs, appointments and promotions, uses of University resources, interactions with human subjects, or other matters of interest to the University; or
-
Resulting in personal or immediate family member's gain or advancement to the detriment of the University or in ways prohibited by University policy."
According to the policy, "Conflict of Commitment exists when a University Member's external relationship or activities have, or will have, a reasonable potential to interfere or compete with the University's educational, research, or service mission or with that individual's ability or willingness to perform the full range of responsibilities associated with his or her position."
University faculty and staff are responsible for making disclosures related to their outside activities to facilitate effective identification and management of conflicts of interest. Managing Conflicts of Interest often requires disclosure of the source and amount of outside personal income. Managing Conflicts of Commitment requires disclosure of the nature of outside professional activities and the amount of time spent on them.
Specific information on who must disclose and how, and answers to other FAQs, are available on the MyDisclosures website. Please also see the @Pitt article announcing the new MyDisclosures system for further reference. Specific Examples covering Conflicts of Interest are also available. The Conflict of Interest Office is also a valuable resource for any questions related to Conflicts of Interest and Conflicts of Commitment.