Conflict of Interest Disclosure | University at Albany

Conflict of Interest Management

UAlbany is committed to promoting objectivity in research and maintaining high ethical standards to ensure the design, conduct and reporting of research is not biased by the financial interests or outside obligations to individuals acting on behalf of the University.

Any individual who has responsibility for the design, conduct or reporting of externally sponsored activities (Investigators) must disclose any significant financial interests or significant obligations that are external to the University and Research Foundation for SUNY. This includes both foreign and domestic interests and obligations of the Investigator and their immediate family members.

Investigators may not have any interest or engage in any outside activity that results in unmanaged or unmitigated conflict-of-interest. An Investigator's responsibilities and obligations to the University must be clearly separate from any personal financial interests or obligations.

Their certification must be filed upon initial application for external funding and whenever the researcher’s significant financial interests or outside obligations change materially. Investigators are required to complete the conflict of interest disclosure process annually.

Use the instructions below to complete this process. Contact [email protected] with questions about Conflict of Interest Disclosures.

If a potential or actual conflict is determined to exist, researchers must consult with the Conflict of Interest Committee, abide by the committee’s review process and collaborate on the development of a management plan.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Process

Step 1: Complete the Conflict of Interest Training

You must complete the Managing Conflict of Interest Training in Research Training online via the CITI Training Program before you submit the Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure. This training must be completed every four years.

Visit Required Trainings for detailed instructions on creating and managing CITI accounts.

Step 2: Submit your Conflict of Interest Certification

You will not be able to complete the disclosure process until your training report has automatically transferred from the CITI Program to the UAlbany PACS Portal, which usually takes about 24 hours. (Register for the PACS Portal.)

Once that’s complete, follow these instructions:

Select the “COI” tab in the UAlbany PACS Portal.
Click the “Edit My Certification” button.
Answer all questions, enter any disclosures and continue. You can save and exit the Smart Form at any time.
When you are done and ready to submit your Annual Certification, check the box to finalize your Certification and then click “Finish.”

If you have no disclosures requiring review, the status will change from “Draft” to “No Review Required.”

If you have disclosures requiring review, the status will change from “Draft” to “Administrative Review.”

For disclosures requiring review, the Conflict of Interest Administrator will contact you with additional instructions and to explain the review process in detail.

Disclosures may be forwarded for additional campus review to determine if a management plan for the conflict or potential conflict is required. You will have an opportunity to review any required plan.