{"id":3102,"date":"2016-08-05T15:27:15","date_gmt":"2016-08-05T19:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/?page_id=3102"},"modified":"2025-09-19T14:01:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T18:01:34","slug":"conflicts-of-interest","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/conflicts-of-interest\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial Conflicts of Interest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) in research may occur when outside financial interests compromise, or have the appearance of compromising, the professional judgment of a researcher when designing, conducting, or reporting research. FCOIs are not inherently bad and <span>do not always lead to biased behavior. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Review the policies and information below to become familiar with federal requirements, university policy, and actions required from BU investigators.<\/p>\n<p><b><span>Are you an investigator at Boston Medical Center (BMC)?<\/span><\/b><span> The information below is for researchers at Boston University. <\/span>BMC investigators working on BMC research must disclose through the BMC Compliance Department\u2019s web-based system, COI-Smart. <span>Please contact BMC\u2019s Compliance Department at <\/span><a href=\"mailto:COI-Compliance@bmc.org\"><span>COI-Compliance@bmc.org<\/span><\/a><span> to gain access.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Disclosure Procedures<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"action\">Step One: <a href=\"http:\/\/fcoiresearch.bu.edu\/\">Complete a Financial Interest Disclosure<\/a><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>All individuals responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of research at Boston University must <a href=\"http:\/\/fcoiresearch.bu.edu\/\">complete their conflict of interest disclosure profile<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Have questions? Review <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/conflicts-of-interest\/huron-faqs\/\">FAQs<\/a> about the Huron system or contact the <a href=\"mailto:coi@bu.edu\">COI Program<\/a> if you have trouble accessing or completing your disclosure profile.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"action\">Step Two: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/conflicts-of-interest\/conflicts-of-interest-training\/\">Complete Financial Conflicts of Interest Training<\/a><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Investigators engaging or planning to engage in <span>Public Health Service (PHS) and\/or Department of Energy (DOE) f<\/span>unded research must complete financial conflict of interest training on investigator responsibilities prior to engaging in PHS- <span>and\/or DOE-f<\/span>unded research and at least once every four (4) years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"action\">Step Three: FCOI Committee Review<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>When a significant financial interest may be related to the research, the Faculty Review Committee on Research FCOIs will review the research project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>When the Committee identifies a financial conflict of interest, it will submit a proposed management plan to the Associate Vice President for Research Compliance (AVPRC).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"action\">Step Four: Management Plans<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The AVPRC will make the final determination on how to manage the FCOI and will accept, reject, or modify the Review Committee\u2019s recommendation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The Investigator must comply with any management plan imposed by BU and upon receipt of the determination, the Investigator must either accept or submit an appeal. Funding will be held until the Investigator agrees to comply with the final management plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Guidance<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">How to Disclose<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">With Huron COI, investigators must disclose online. If you have trouble logging in, contact the&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:coi@bu.edu\">COI Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3>To access Huron COI:<\/h3>\n<p>Log into Huron COI <span><a href=\"https:\/\/fcoiresearch.bu.edu\/\">here<\/a><\/span>.<br \/>\nYou <strong>must<\/strong> be a current faculty, staff or student with an active BU account, Kerberos password, and <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/support\/duo\/\">DUO Two-Factor Authentication<\/a><\/span> . <\/p>\n<p>If you are an external affiliate, your Principal Investigator (PI) will need to sponsor an affiliate account for you. They can&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/support\/information-security\/docs\/iam-faqs\/how-to-request-an-affiliate-account\/\">request an affiliate account through BU TechWeb<\/a>. To do so, they (or one of their delegates) will need the following information from you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Legal Name<\/li>\n<li>Date of Birth<\/li>\n<li>Personal Email<\/li>\n<li>Contact Telephone Number<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>More information on affiliate accounts and the request process is available on BU TechWeb.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/support\/information-security\/docs\/iam-faqs\/affiliate-assignment-types\/\">Affiliate Assignment Types<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/support\/information-security\/docs\/iam-faqs\/how-to-request-an-affiliate-account\/\">How to Request an Affiliate Account<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bu.service-now.com\/sp?id=sc_category&amp;sys_id=8a6c9db1db15e3000dd825894b961996\">Affiliate Account Application<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once your affiliate account is created, you will be able to use your credentials to log into Huron.<\/p>\n<h3>Disclosing Entities<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Log into Huron using your BU Kerberos username and password.<\/li>\n<li>Navigate to COI, then Disclosures. You should be on a page that says <strong>Disclosure profile for [your name]<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong><em>Edit Disclosure Profile<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>In the Entity Disclosure Information section, add or update any entity disclosures for yourself, your spouse, and any dependent children as necessary.<\/li>\n<li>Once you have finished reviewing and completed disclosure of all entities, click <strong><em>Complete Disclosure Profile Update<\/em><\/strong> to certify that the disclosure is complete and accurate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>For more detailed instructions and screenshots, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/conflicts-of-interest\/huron-faqs\/\">FAQs for Huron COI<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/conflicts-of-interest\/huron-faqs\/huron-coi-instructions-page\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Huron COI Instructions Page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Projects<\/h3>\n<p>In Huron COI, a project is called a Triggering Event because being included on a project triggers a required action.<\/p>\n<p>If your PI or Grants\/Departmental Administrator submitted a Proposal Summary Form to Sponsored Programs for your project, that project will be imported into Huron COI as a Triggering Event.<\/p>\n<p>However, for industry partnerships, IRB protocols, and other projects that require COI disclosure, the PI or primary contact will manually create a triggering event in Huron.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the project is manually created or imported into Huron, the PI and\/or primary contact will <strong><em>Edit the Triggering Event<\/em><\/strong> to manage the list of research personnel associated with the project, determining who will be required to disclose.<\/p>\n<p>Once all current research personnel are listed on a triggering event, the PI or primary contact will <strong><em>Manage Certifications<\/em><\/strong> from the Triggering Event workspace to create a research certification for each individual associated with the project. Research personnel will receive an email notification prompting them to log into Huron COI and disclose if necessary.<\/p>\n<p>For more detailed instructions and screenshots, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/conflicts-of-interest\/huron-faqs\/\">FAQs for Huron COI<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/conflicts-of-interest\/huron-faqs\/huron-coi-instructions-page\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Huron COI Instructions Page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Who Discloses<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">Anyone who is responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of research activities at Boston University must disclose, regardless of title or position.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">What to Disclose<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p>Each Investigator responsible for the design, conduct or reporting of research at or under the auspices of BU must disclose all of his or her SFIs, and those of the Investigator\u2019s spouse and dependent children, that reasonably appear to be related to the Investigator\u2019s Institutional Responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>Significant Financial Interest (\u201cSFI\u201d) is defined as any financial interests (i.e., anything of monetary value) consisting of one or more of the following interests of the Investigator (and those of the Investigator\u2019s spouse and dependent children), within the previous 12 months, that reasonably appears to be related to the Investigator\u2019s Institutional Responsibilities:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>For all Publicly Traded Entities <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Remuneration (e.g., salary, income, consulting fees, honoraria, paid authorship or any other payment) from an Entity that exceeds $5,000;<\/li>\n<li>Any equity interest (e.g., stock, stock option, or other ownership interest) in the Entity that exceeds $5,000; or<\/li>\n<li>Any remaining remuneration and equity from an Entity that, when added together, exceeds $5,000 in value.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<li><strong>For all Non-Publicly Traded Entities <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Remuneration (e.g., salary, income, consulting fees, honoraria, paid authorship or any other payment) from an Entity that exceeds $5,000;<\/li>\n<li>Any equity interest (e.g., stock, stock option, or other ownership interest) in the Entity regardless of value; or<\/li>\n<li>Any remaining remuneration and equity from an Entity that, when added together, exceeds $5,000 in value.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Intellectual Property (IP) Right and Interests<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Intellectual property rights and interests (e.g., patents, copyrights), upon receipt of income related to such rights and interests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<li><strong>For PHS- or DOE-Funded Research Investigators Only: Reimbursed or Sponsored Travel <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Travel reimbursed or sponsored by an Entity other than the Investigator\u2019s current institution (i.e., paid on behalf of the Investigator and not reimbursed to the Investigator so that the exact monetary value may not be readily available), and related to their Institutional Responsibilities of any dollar amount must be disclosed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><u>Exclusions:<\/u> SFIs do not include the following types of financial interests:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Salary, royalties, or other remuneration paid by BU to the Investigator if the Investigator is currently employed or otherwise appointed by BU, including intellectual property rights assigned to BU and agreements to share in royalties related to such rights;<\/li>\n<li>Income from investment vehicles, such as mutual funds and retirement accounts, as long as the Investigator does not directly control the investment decisions made in these vehicles; and<\/li>\n<li>Income from seminars, lectures, teaching engagements or service on advisory committees or review panels that are sponsored by a federal, state, or local government agency within the United States, a United States Institution of higher education as defined at 20 U.S.C. 1001(a), an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with a United States Institution of higher education;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">When to Disclose<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">All investigators applying for research funding or conducting research must disclose SFIs:<\/p>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Before application for funding: Each investigator who is planning to participate in research must disclose SFIs no later than the time of application or submission of a formal proposal, if applicable;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>When executing a contract with an entity where no application or proposal is required: Each Investigator planning to participate in research must disclose SFIs prior to expending any funds;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Upon discovery or acquisition of a new SFI: Each investigator must submit a disclosure within thirty (30) days of discovering or acquiring (e.g., through purchase, marriage, or inheritance) all new SFIs; and<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>For active awards: Each investigator who is participating in research must submit an updated disclosure of SFIs at least annually during the award period. The updated disclosure will include any new or updated SFIs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Why Disclose<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Protect research integrity<\/li>\n<li>Protect taxpayer money<\/li>\n<li>Protect researcher and institutional reputations<\/li>\n<li>Protect population safety<\/li>\n<li>Federal law: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecfr.gov\/current\/title-42\/chapter-I\/subchapter-D\/part-50\/subpart-F\">42 CFR Part 50<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecfr.gov\/current\/title-45\/subtitle-A\/subchapter-A\/part-94\">45 CFR Part 94<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-12\/Interim%20COI%20Policy%20FAL2022-02%20to%20SPEs.pdf\">Department of Energy Interim Conflict of Interest Policy Requirements for Financial Assistance<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Related Policies<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/forms-policies\/investigator-financial-conflicts-of-interest-policy-for-research\/\">Boston University Investigator Financial Conflicts of Interest Policy for Research<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/forms-policies\/investigator-financial-conflicts-of-interest-policy-for-research\/#viii-bu-doe-interim-requirements\">BU DOE Interim COI Requirements-Addendum to BU FCOI Policy for Research<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/forms-policies\/investigator-financial-conflicts-of-interest-policy-for-research\/#ix-bu-nasa-revised-requirements\">BU NASA Revised Requirements-Addendum to BU FCOI Policy for Research<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Boston University Institutional Conflicts of Interest in Research Policy\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/forms-policies\/boston-university-institutional-conflicts-of-interest-in-research-policy\/\">Boston University Institutional Conflicts of Interest in Research Policy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/forms-policies\/research-financial-conflict-of-interest-review-process\/\">Research Financial Conflict of Interest Review Process<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Key Contacts<\/h2>\n\n\t<ul class=\"profile-listing profile-format-mini\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<li class=\"profile-item profile-item-mini post-25175 profile type-profile status-publish hentry office-coi-export-control-program\">\n\t\n\t<figure class=\"profile-photo  profile-photo-default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"initials\">\n\t\t\tCI\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"profile-details profile-details-mini\">\n\t\t<h6 class=\"profile-name profile-name-mini\">Conflicts of Interest Office<\/h6><p class=\"profile-email profile-email-mini\"><a href=\"mailto:coi@bu.edu\">coi@bu.edu<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/li>\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\n\n\t<ul class=\"profile-listing profile-format-mini\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<li class=\"profile-item profile-item-mini post-199 profile type-profile status-publish hentry topic-conflicts-of-interest topic-export-control office-coi-export-control-program office-orc\">\n\t\n\t<figure class=\"profile-photo  profile-photo-default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"initials\">\n\t\t\tSP\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"profile-details profile-details-mini\">\n\t\t<h6 class=\"profile-name profile-name-mini\">Sarah Porter<\/h6><p class=\"profile-email profile-email-mini\"><a href=\"mailto:sbporter@bu.edu\">sbporter@bu.edu<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/li>\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\n\n\t<ul class=\"profile-listing profile-format-mini\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<li class=\"profile-item profile-item-mini post-296 profile type-profile status-publish hentry office-coi-export-control-program\">\n\t\n\t<figure class=\"profile-photo  profile-photo-default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"initials\">\n\t\t\tCW\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"profile-details profile-details-mini\">\n\t\t<h6 class=\"profile-name profile-name-mini\">Cassie Williams<\/h6><p class=\"profile-email profile-email-mini\"><a href=\"mailto:cassiew@bu.edu\">cassiew@bu.edu<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/li>\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\n\n\t<ul class=\"profile-listing profile-format-mini\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<li class=\"profile-item profile-item-mini post-24384 profile type-profile status-publish hentry office-orc\">\n\t\n\t<figure class=\"profile-photo  profile-photo-default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"initials\">\n\t\t\tLS\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"profile-details profile-details-mini\">\n\t\t<h6 class=\"profile-name profile-name-mini\">Lizzie Selmi<\/h6><p class=\"profile-email profile-email-mini\"><a href=\"mailto:eselmi@bu.edu\">eselmi@bu.edu<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/li>\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\n\n\t<ul class=\"profile-listing profile-format-mini\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<li class=\"profile-item profile-item-mini post-6467 profile type-profile status-publish hentry topic-conflicts-of-interest topic-export-control office-coi-export-control-program office-orc tags-export-control tags-financial-conflict-of-interest-disclosure\">\n\t\n\t<figure class=\"profile-photo  profile-photo-default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"initials\">\n\t\t\tVC\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"profile-details profile-details-mini\">\n\t\t<h6 class=\"profile-name profile-name-mini\">Victoria Carlo-Carson<\/h6><p class=\"profile-email profile-email-mini\"><a href=\"mailto:carcar@bu.edu\">carcar@bu.edu<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/li>\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\n<h2><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) in research may occur when outside financial interests compromise, or have the appearance of compromising, the professional judgment of a researcher when designing, conducting, or reporting research. FCOIs are not inherently bad and do not always lead to biased behavior. Review the policies and information below to become familiar with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3324,"featured_media":0,"parent":418,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3102"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3102"}],"version-history":[{"count":57,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58947,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3102\/revisions\/58947"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}