Conflict of Interest Reporting Supports KU's Goals and Yours

Dear Colleagues,

In an entrepreneurial community like ours at KU — where we disseminate knowledge by publishing books, accelerate discovery through collaboration with global partners, share expertise with outside entities as consultants, encourage employees to bring beneficial technologies to market via startup companies and more — potential conflicts of interest are bound to arise.

The key to managing these situations with integrity is transparency. COI reporting helps clear the path to innovation and entrepreneurship, new research opportunities and partnerships, and faculty success and recognition.

This week, KU begins issuing annual conflict of interest certifications for fiscal year 2023. All KU faculty, unclassified academic and professional staff, and research-engaged affiliates will receive an email notice by Friday, Sept. 9, from ecompliance@ku.edu.

• Annual COI reporting is an obligation of employment, per university policy.

• Staff with fractional appointments, such as part-time lecturers, are also required to submit COI certifications.

• Sept. 30, 2022 is the deadline for submitting your online COI certification.

If the university determines that your disclosures could be perceived to conflict with your KU responsibilities, a review committee will work with you and your supervisor to create a management plan that supports your activities while preserving the highest standards of reliability and propriety.

This process is mandated for all faculty and staff by federal regulations, state ethics statutes, policies at the Kansas Board of Regents and at KU for a reason: It protects our collective integrity. We all want to ensure that we are conducting research fairly, using university resources appropriately, stewarding public funds responsibly and prioritizing the best interests of our students.

By fulfilling your mandatory reporting obligations, you can ensure that you are meeting these standards while circumventing or limiting headaches and legal issues that could slow down your research and innovation.

The Office of Research hosted a campuswide virtual forum yesterday to provide guidance on what to disclose. You can find a recording of that forum, helpful conflict of interest FAQs and other resources on the KU Research website, and staff in KU’s Research Integrity unit are available to provide assistance or training.

Thank you for taking time to understand and follow through on your responsibilities.

Respectfully,

Doug, Barb and Simon

Douglas A. Girod

Chancellor

Barbara A. Bichelmeyer

Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor

Simon Atkinson

Vice Chancellor for Research