Fayetteville Policies and Procedures: Revision

The following Fayetteville Policy and Procedure has been revised and may be viewed at http://vcfa.uark.edu/675.php.

404.0 Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment, Including Outside Activity
http://vcfa.uark.edu/Documents/4040.pdf along with forms - Appendix B, C, D, E, F.

A diverse committee representing faculty, staff, students, and administrators has completed a major update to University Policy 404.0, Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment, Including Outside Activity.

Recent, mandatory changes in its Conflict of Interest Policy by the Public Health Service, and forthcoming changes by other federal agencies, spurred the university to take a fresh look at its own policy concerning conflicts of interest and commitment encountered by the university community.

While incorporating new requirements, such as reporting travel supported by private companies, other than in the sponsored research context, and mandatory training, both required by federal regulation, the policy also reduces the reporting burden for some individuals. For instance, where a conflict of interest management plan was formerly required for each sponsored project, the new policy requires a single management plan for each entity which represents a conflict.

Unchanged is the requirement that disclosures of potential conflicts be completed and submitted annually, and updated as needed throughout the year, by all faculty, and by all classified and non-classified staff. New forms, available on the web, are required for the following activities:

1. Prior Approval of Outside Employment (see also Academic Policy Series 1450.0)
2. Disclosure of Potential Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment, Including Outside Activities.

A new template has been provided for Conflict of Interest Management Plans.

For questions regarding the new policy, contact Jim Rankin, the vice provost for research and economic development, at 575-5901 or rankinj@uark.edu.