Conflict of interest:

A conflict of interest exists when a person's outside or private interests affect - or appear to affect - their professional responsibilities and judgment as an OSU employee or affiliate (also referred to as "Institutional Responsibilities").

Research Conflict of Interest:

A research COI (RCOI) could exist for a person who is responsible for the design, conduct, reporting, and/or oversight of research activities or programs affiliated with OSU. These individuals may also be referred to as "Investigators" or "Covered Persons".

A RCOI exists when an investigator's outside or private interests affect - or appear to affect - their research activities and/or their professional responsibilities and judgment as an OSU employee or affiliate.

Notes:

The existence of a conflict of interest increases the potential for bias, and that risk may or may not be recognized by a person with a conflict of interest. In some cases, a person's outside or private interests may tempt a person to act on their bias and allow undue influence to affect their work activities at OSU. However, the mere existence of a conflict of interest scenario does not necessarily indicate that an outside or private interest is unduly influencing OSU activities.

Persons with outside or private interests that could result in a conflict of interest scenario will protect themselves when they promptly disclose their interests, manage them appropriately for as long as the conflict(s) exist, and avoid unnecessary or unmanagable conflicts.

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