University and PRI staff are expected to devote most of their time and intellectual energy to the education, research and other programs supporting the institution’s mission.
A conflict of commitment arises when an individual engages in an outside activity, either paid or unpaid, that may adversely affect their commitment to the university/PRI. Undertaking outside activities alongside responsibilities toward the university/PRI can lead to conflicts regarding allocation of time and energy, especially if such activities may result in new IP – as with, for example, consulting, government service, public service, or pro bono work.

A conflict of interest is a situation in which an individual’s financial, professional or other personal considerations may affect his or her professional judgment in exercising any university/PRI duty. Questionable circumstances that can arise relating to research and IP include, for example:

• if an institution’s employee personally invests in a business venture created from the institution’s IP when they were involved as a researcher or supervisor/manager;
• if a staff member who is a founder of a company personally negotiates the licensing terms with the university/PRI;
• if a staff member who holds a board position at a company decides on issues involving licensing terms with the university/IPR;
• if a staff member who also consults for another company needs to decide whether to assign his or her inventions to the university/PRI or to the company for whom he or she consults;
• if a staff member accepts research sponsorship from a company in which he or she has a financial interest; the conflict arises because the outcome of the research could materially affect the personal wealth of the researcher
A conflict of interest/commitment policy:
• can be either separate from or integrated within the general IP policy;
• educates faculty and staff about situations that generate conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment;
• provides disclosure procedures and means of managing these conflicts; and
• identifies situations that are prohibited.