Following MIT’s Conflict of Commitment policy, administrative, support, and service staff are required to discuss any Outside Professional Activity (OPA) which is reasonably related to their Institutional Responsibilities (work at MIT) with their supervisor. They are not required to disclose in MyCOI-OPA+.
Supervisor Discussions
Because administrative, support and service staff do not disclose in MyCOI-OPA+, they must provide adequate details to their supervisor about their OPA to ensure it is not a Conflict of Commitment.
- Consider using the COI Consulting Questionnaire to provide details to your supervisor.
- Discuss details before entering into an agreement with an outside party, and on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Sponsor Requirements
Some sponsors (for example, the USDA) may require that administrators also certify that they have no conflicts of commitment. Following MIT’s Conflict of Commitment policy and having required discussions with your supervisor will satisfy this requirement.
Examples
- Reasonably related (OPA): An MIT research administrator is contemplating consulting part-time for another university to help them with their proposal backlog. Because this is reasonably related to their Institutional Responsibilities, it requires a discussion with their supervisor.
- Not reasonably related (OPA): An MIT research administrator is considering taking on clients as a personal athletic trainer. This is not related to their Institutional Responsibilities, so they do not need to discuss with their supervisor.