Disclosure Requirements – Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research Policy

Full and prompt disclosure of Significant Financial Interests (including, for PHS Investigators (and some other federal sponsors), Sponsored Travel) is critical to MIT’s ability to identify, manage, and eliminate Financial Conflicts of Interest. Investigators must describe a Related Entity’s business focus, their work or role with the Related Entity and any relationship to their Institutional Responsibilities. Please note: All MIT faculty and others required to disclose must also disclose certain information with respect to conflicts of interest when reporting Outside Professional Activities.

  1. Creating a COI disclosure. An Investigator must create an FCOI disclosure in MyCOI-OPA+, which discloses the Investigator’s Significant Financial Interests and how they relate to the Investigator’s Institutional Responsibilities. Once approved, the disclosure becomes a master disclosure, which maintains an ongoing record of the Investigator’s proposals, awards, Significant Financial Interests, all approved disclosures and, for PHS Investigators (and some other federal sponsors), Sponsored Travel, for as long as the Investigator remains at MIT. See coi.mit.edu for more details.

    When an Investigator joins a research project already in progress, an Investigator must disclose to MIT his or her Significant Financial Interests prior to the Investigator commencing participation in the research project.

  2. Maintaining a master disclosure.
    1. An Investigator must disclose to MIT any new Significant Financial Interests within a reasonable period (generally 90 days) following the date on which the Significant Financial Interest is acquired or arises. PHS funded Investigators (and some other federal sponsors) must disclose any new Significant Financial Interest within 30 days following the date on which the Significant Financial Interest is acquired or arises and any Sponsored Travel within 30 days after completing the travel.
    2. Disclosures must be updated at least every 12 months and Investigators will be notified of the expiration date via email.