Communications & News Archive

Department of Energy (DOE) Interim Conflict of Interest Policy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued Interim Conflict of Interest Policy Requirements, which will affect DOE Awards issued to proposals submitted on or after 12/20/2021.

Enhancing the Security and Integrity of America’s Research Enterprise

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Key takeaways

The integrity of the research enterprise rests upon core principles and values. Principled international collaboration and foreign contributions are critical to the success of the U.S. research enterprise. • Some individuals and foreign governments violate core principles of integrity and pose risks to research security. Hidden diversions of intellectual property weaken the U.S. innovation base and threaten our security and economic competitiveness. The U.S. Government is taking deliberate steps to address risks to research security and integrity while maintaining an open and collaborative enterprise.

Protecting U.S. Biomedical Intellectual Innovation

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH and the biomedical research enterprise have a long history of International collaborations with rules of engagement that allow science to advance while also protecting intellectual capital and proprietary information of the participating countries. These rules of engagement also are designed to limit bias in the design, conduct, and reporting of NIH-supported research. 

You’ll never guess who helped to fund that controversial keep-eating-red-meat study

Washington Post

Annals of Internal Medicine issues a correction about researcher’s undisclosed conflict of interest linking chief researcher to the meat industry.

NIH Has Made Strides in Reviewing Financial Conflicts of Interest in Extramural Research, But Could Do More

Office of Inspector General's (OIG), Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)

NIH awards more than 70 percent of its $37 billion budget to universities and other extramural grantee institutions (institutions). Identifying and managing investigators' financial conflicts of interest (financial conflicts) is critical to safeguarding the integrity of NIH-funded research.

NIH must better protect research from foreign influence, federal watchdog says

STAT

Foreign governments and corporations could profit from American academic institutions’ failure to safeguard taxpayer-funded biomedical research, according to a set of new reports from a federal watchdog.

National Institutes of Health Has Limited Policies, Procedures, and Controls in Place for Helping To Ensure That Institutions Report All Sources of Research Support, Financial Interests, and Affiliations

Office of Inspector General's (OIG), Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)

News reports have raised concerns about foreign threats to the United States biomedical research enterprise.

Reminders of NIH Policies on Other Support and on Policies related to Financial Conflicts of Interest and Foreign Components

NIH

The intent of this notice is to remind the extramural community about the need to report foreign activities through documentation of other support, foreign components, and financial conflict of interest to prevent scientific, budgetary, or commitment overlap.

University of Kansas Researcher Indicted for Fraud for Failing to Disclose Conflict of Interest with Chinese University

Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs

A researcher at the University of Kansas (KU) was indicted today on federal charges of hiding the fact he was working full time for a Chinese university while doing research at KU funded by the U.S. government.

NIH probe of foreign ties has led to undisclosed firings—and refunds from institutions

Science

An aggressive effort by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to enforce rules requiring its grantees to report foreign ties is still gathering steam. But it has already had a major impact on the U.S. biomedical research community.

MSK Cancer Center Orders Staff to ‘Do a Better Job’ of Disclosing Industry Ties

New York Times

September 9, 2018 - New York Times - The chief executive of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center sent an email to all staff members on Sunday saying that the institution and its faculty “need to do a better job” of disclosing their relationships with the drug and health care industries.

Sloan Kettering under fire for potential conflict-of-interest in start-up deal

Tech Transfer Central

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has come under fire for its stake in an artificial intelligence start-up founded by three researchers from the center. Several individuals who hold leadership positions at Sloan Kettering also hold equity in the new venture.