Guiding Principles

A number of guiding principles inform our approach to identifying and addressing Financial Conflicts of Interest. These include:

  1. An Investigator’s first and primary responsibility is to support and advance MIT’s mission, rather than to advance his or her personal financial interests.
  2. Research must be undertaken to advance scholarship and new knowledge and not an Investigator’s or the Investigator’s Family’s personal financial interest.
  3. Financial Conflicts of Interest must be identified and either managed or eliminated.
  4. Disclosure of Significant Financial Interests and Outside Professional Activities is integral to identification of Financial Conflicts of Interest.
  5. An Investigator must not attempt to influence the activities of colleagues and subordinates with the intent of enhancing the Investigator’s or the Investigator’s Family’s financial interests.
  6. Research results must not be withheld or provided on a preferential basis for the benefit of an Investigator's or the Investigator’s Family’s financial interest.
  7. MIT’s resources, names and trademarks may not be used for personal benefit.
  8. Investigators must disclose any actual Financial Conflicts of Interests and any Significant Financial Interests that may appear to give rise to a Financial Conflicts of Interest to students and staff who participate in their research. 
  9. Extra scrutiny must be given to potential Financial Conflicts of Interest in research involving human subjects.
  10. An Investigator may not supervise directly or indirectly any member of his or her Family nor may an Investigator assume the role of advocate or judge regarding a Family member’s employment, salary, or promotion.