Conflicts of Interest and Research Grants

In accordance with the requirements of the federal government, Harvey Mudd College has established a policy concerning the disclosure of financial interest in research or other activities supported by grants from external sources or from college-sponsored grant programs.

This policy corresponds to the guidelines set forth in the NSF Grant Policy Manual and the NIH Grants Policy in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations § 50.604 (Responsibilities of Institutions regarding Investigator financial conflicts of interest). These policies apply to grants funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health with Public Health Service (PHS) funding, as well as grants from other sources. Please refer to the Financial Disclosure Policy in the Harvey Mudd College Faculty Notebook (PDF) and HMC’s Financial Conflict of Interest Policy.

The policy includes the requirement that grant seekers 1) receive FCOI training and 2) disclose to the Dean of the Faculty any significant financial interest they have in the proposed grant-supported activity. The PI must certify satisfaction of this requirement in the Financial Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form which must be submitted to the Office of Sponsored Research as part of the internal approvals process.

In the absence of disclosure, the release of the proposal to the Harvey Mudd College Office of Sponsored Research and Projects or Office of Business Affairs for submission is implied to mean that no conflict of interest exists. Grant seekers indicate this by releasing the proposal to Nicole Wallens, Associate Director of Sponsored Research, and Rodrigo Flores, Grants Accountant, for submission.

Conflicts of Interest Resources