Conflict of Interest (COI)

Conflicts of Interest (COIs)

COIs often arise where one could financially benefit from research, causing or appearing to cause potential bias in its design, conduct, or reporting. Conflicts are not inherently bad, but do require transparency and possible management to maintain the integrity of the research. Federal regulations require the University to implement a conflict of interest review procedure with the goal of promoting objectivity in funded research.

Research Integrity and Compliance (RIC) supports the administrative processes of UNT’s COI program by overseeing the functions of the COI committee, reviewing and routing COI disclosures, advising and following-up with investigators and overseeing the annual COI disclosure process.

The main line for UNT’s COI program is (940) 565-3941, and the email address is untcoi@unt.edu.

  • What is a Significant Financial Interest (SFI)?

    Significant Financial Interest is defined as a Financial Interest consisting of one or more of the following interests of the Investigator or the Investigator's Covered Family Members that reasonably appears to be related to the Investigator's Institutional Responsibilities:

    Remuneration or Equity Interest in a Publicly Traded Entity: A Financial Interest in which the value of any Remuneration received from the entity in the twelve months preceding the disclosure and the value of any Equity Interest in the entity as of the date of disclosure, when aggregated, exceeds $5,000;

    Remuneration or Equity Interest in a Non-Publicly Traded Entity: A Financial Interest in which the value of any Remuneration received from the entity in the twelve months preceding the disclosure, when aggregated, exceeds $5,000, or when the Investigator holds any Equity Interest;

    Intellectual Property: Any receipt of income for Intellectual property rights and interests (e.g. patents, copyrights);

    Reimbursed or Sponsored Travel: Any reimbursed or sponsored travel in the twelve months preceding the disclosure in which the value (aggregated per entity that reimburses or sponsors the travel) exceeds $5,000. This does not apply to Investigators who do not receive PHS funding; See "SFI Exclusions" below for additional exclusions for travel that is not reportable.

    SFI Exclusions: The term Significant Financial Interest (SFI) does not include the following types of financial interests:

    1. Salary, royalties, or other Remuneration paid by UNT to the Investigator or Covered Family Member if the Investigator or Covered Family Member is currently employed or otherwise appointed by UNT, including Intellectual Property rights assigned to UNT and agreements to share in royalties related to such rights;
    2. Income from investment vehicles, such as mutual funds and retirement accounts, as long as the Investigator or Covered Family Member does not directly control the investment decisions made in these vehicles;
    3. Income from seminars, lectures, or teaching engagements sponsored by a federal, state, or local government agency, an 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 an institution of higher education;
    4. Income from service on advisory committees or review panels for a federal, state, or local government agency, an 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 an institution of higher education;
    5. Travel that is reimbursed or sponsored by a federal, state, or local government agency, an 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 an institution of higher education; and
    6. Travel not meeting the exceptions in part (5) above, but is valued at less than $5,000 per entity that reimburses or sponsors the travel.
  • Conflict of Interest Committee Members

    Kent Chapman, Ph.D.

    Regents Professor, Biochemistry and Co-Director, Biodiscovery Institute

    Elias Mpofu, Ph.D.

    Professor, Rehabilitation and Health Services

    Victor Prybutok, Ph.D.

    Chair, COI Committee

    Vice Provost, Toulouse Graduate School, Regents Professor of Decision Sciences

    Brian Sauser, Ph.D.

    Professor, Marketing, Logistics, & Operations Management

    Youngwook Won, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering

  • Additional Guidance and Resources for Researchers