Under the UO’s Conflict of Interest, Conflict of Commitment, and Outside Activities Policy (COI/COC Policy), which applies to all UO employees, some outside activities and financial interests require disclosure and approval.
Under the UO’s Financial Conflict of Interest in Research Policy (FCOI Policy), which applies only to researchers who receive sponsored awards, other types of outside activities and financial interests must be disclosed. If your independent consulting or outside activity results in more than $5,000 in compensation within a 12-month period or if the work is done in exchange for equity interest, disclosure is required under this policy.
This checklist is designed to help UO employees assess steps that may be required prior to working as an independent consultant and/or prior to accepting compensation from outside the university.
Disclosures under both policies are submitted via a disclosure profile in the Research Administration Portal (link prompts you to enter your Duck ID).
Important Considerations Even if Disclosure is Not Required
- Ensure that terms of consulting or other types of agreements in an outside activity do not limit, prevent, or otherwise hinder an employee's academic research and scholarly activity at UO. Employees should retain their ability to research and publish (or submit for publication) academic or scholarly works resulting from their UO employment.
- Employees may share information with third parties they would otherwise share via publications, presentations, lectures, seminars, and discussions. However, employees may not share information generally not available to the public. Employees may not share non-public information or UO intellectual property with third parties without authorization, under UO's COI/COC policy.
- Employees may not use UO supplies, facilities, equipment, time of other employees, records, intellectual property, or other UO resources in their consulting or outside activity, under state law and UO's COI/COC policy.
- Employees' outside activities, including consulting, should not substantially interfere with their duties to the UO. (See conflicts of commitment.)
- Employees may not confer nor imply UO endorsement of a third-party's products or services without authorization. Third parties may not use the UO logo, trademarks, or other marks without permission, under the UO's brand policy.
- Under state law, employees may not make decisions in their UO capacity that would or could have a financial impact on them personally, their relatives, their household members, or a business with which any is associated. In other words, employees may not make a decision with their UO hat that would affect them in their consulting or other outside activity.
Questions?
Questions about either policy, whether disclosure is required, or how to disclose can be directed to coi@uoregon.edu or 541-346-6200.