A conflict of interest (COI) may arise when financial interests or other personal considerations, such as Outside Professional Activities, have the potential to compromise, or appear to compromise, an individual’s professional judgment or objectivity in performing their Institutional Responsibilities, including but not limited to the design, conduct, or reporting of research. Such conflicts may involve financial gain or competing obligations or influences that risk undermining the integrity, quality, or effectiveness of an individual’s work on behalf of the institution.
While COIs can arise in a range of institutional contexts, they are especially significant in the research environment, where objectivity and public trust are paramount. MIT’s Conflict of Interest (COI) policies are designed to uphold the integrity of research while supporting the goals of its researchers:
- Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research (FCOI) Policy
- Conflict of Commitment (COC) Policy and COC Guidance
- Outside Professional Activities (OPA) Guidance
The policies serve specific purposes to ensure compliance and alignment with MIT’s mission and the expectations of research sponsors.
Key Principles
- People-Centric Approach: Recognizing that people drive fundamental research, we emphasize understanding the researchers' end goals as a critical starting point.
- Policy as a Framework: Policies are seen as structures that facilitate achieving research objectives. Researchers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with relevant policies and seek clarification early and often.
- Clear Processes: The policies are implemented through processes that gather and review information at key stages. This helps each member of the MIT community determine necessary actions to identify and manage potential conflicts.
- Collaborative Partnerships: MIT fosters relationships with key offices to ensure balanced and thoughtful decision-making. The management strategies are tailored to individual circumstances rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
Who discloses?
Faculty, researchers, research staff, academic instructional staff, postdocs, and others as directed should use MyCOI-OPA+ to disclose outside engagements on a rolling basis.
Administrative staff, including sponsored research administrative staff, report outside professional activities to their supervisors according to departmental processes and generally do not use MyCOI-OPA+.
Graduate students considering outside professional activities generally do not use MyCOI-OPA+. They should follow the policies outlined in Graduate Policies and Procedures:
Disclosures in MyCOI-OPA+
MIT has a unified process for disclosing Conflicts of Interest and Outside Professional Activities. Faculty, academic instructional staff, campus sponsored research staff, and academic research staff (and others as directed) should disclose outside engagements as required in MyCOI-OPA+.
Support is available to help you get started with MyCOI-OPA+.
Updated August 2025