Ohio Administrative Code › Title 3356 - Youngstown State University › Chapter 3356-10 - Policies on Admission, Retention, and Graduation standards › Section 3356-10-17 - Objectivity in research - avoidance of conflicts of interest and/or commitment in sponsored research

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) Policy statement. Recognizing the need
			 for objectivity in research, Youngstown state university
			 ("university") shall maintain procedures that control conflicts and
			 potential conflicts in funded research. Such procedures are consistent with the
			 university's professional conduct
			 policies (see rules 3356-9-06
			 and 3356-7-01 of the Administrative Code) and
			 relevant state and federal laws.
(B) Purpose. The intent of this policy and
			 these procedures is to ensure that the design, conduct, and reporting of
			 research projects and other sponsored activities are not compromised, nor would
			 reasonably appear to be affected, by any significant financial interest
			 and/or commitment of the responsible faculty and
			 staff members.
(C)
								Scope. This policy applies to all members of the
			 Youngstown state university community, including faculty, staff and students
			 during the course of conducting sponsored research or projects at or on behalf
			 of the university.
(D) Definitions.
(1) "Project" is an externally funded
			 scholarly activity such as basic, applied, or developmental research,
			 instructional or curricular activities, student aid, career development, or
			 other activity conducted by faculty or staff members at
			 or on behalf of the university.
(2) "Investigator" includes the principal
			 investigator, co-investigators, and other persons (e.g., technicians, students,
			 research associates) responsible, in whole or in part, for the design, conduct,
			 or reporting of the project; and for reporting purposes, includes the
			 investigator's spouse and dependent children.
(3) "Significant financial interest" is
			 anything of monetary value including, but not limited to, salary or other
			 payments for services such as consulting fees or honoraria; equity interests
			 such as stocks, stock options, or other ownership interests; and intellectual
			 property rights such as patents, copyrights and royalties from such rights.
Not included in this definition are:
(a) Salary, royalties, promotion in rank, or
			 other remuneration from the university;
(b) Income from seminars, lectures, or
			 teaching engagements sponsored by public or nonprofit entities;
(c) Income from service on advisory
			 committees or review panels from public or nonprofit entities;
(d) Financial interest arising solely by
			 reason or investment in a business by a mutual, pension, or other institutional
			 investment fund over which the employee does not exercise control;
(e) Equity interest that when aggregated for
			 the investigator and the investigator's spouse and dependent children, does not
			 exceed ten thousand dollars in value, as determined by public prices or other
			 reasonable measures of fair market values, and does not represent more than
			 five per cent ownership interest for any one enterprise or entity;
(f) Salaries, royalties, or other payments
			 that when aggregated for the investigator and the investigator's spouse and
			 dependent children over the next twelve months, are not expected to exceed ten
			 thousand dollars; and
(g) The
			 financial interest is an ownership interest in a business which is the
			 applicant organization under phase I of a small business innovative research
			 ("SBIR") program or phase I of a small business technology transfer ("SBTR")
			 program and the university is a subcontractor under the business'
			 application.
(4)
			 "Conflict of interest" means an action, omission, or situation that may or may
			 reasonably appear to affect or compromise the objectivity or integrity of an
			 investigator's design, conduct or reporting of a project.
			 A conflict of commitment is a type of conflict of
			 interest, which can arise when the external activities burden or interfere with
			 the university member's primary obligations and commitments to the
			 university.
									A potential conflict of
			 interest may exist if the director of research services
			 determines that a significant financial interest and/or
			 commitment could directly and significantly affect the design, conduct,
			 or reporting of a project.
(5) "Disclosure" is a written statement
			 submitted by the investigator describing the nature of any significant
			 financial interests and/or commitments, and the
			 relationship of these to the externally funded project.