Conflict of Interest

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If you are currently registered in PACS, click the PACS button above to log into PACS with your Binghamton University UserID and password.

Conflict of Interest

Binghamton University is committed to promoting objectivity in research and to maintaining high ethical standards to ensure that the design, conduct, and reporting of research is not biased by the financial interests of Investigators. To ensure that research programs are not compromised, policies have been put in place, consistent with federal regulations and guidelines, that require the reporting and management of potential conflicts of interests (COI) of its Investigators. 

Policy

The Investigator Conflict of Interest Policy COI Policy applies to all awards administered by The Research Foundation for SUNY at Binghamton University and applies to all Investigators who apply for, receive, plan to participate in or are participating in sponsored programs.

If you are a Principal Investigator or Senior Key Personnel on a Sponsored Program or IRB protocol, and/or have a current COI on file you must have a completed Investigator Disclosure Statement in PACS (You can log into the PACS program with the green button above) on file at the time of an application for funding or submitting a IRB protocol.

Those in positions of upper management are also required to complete a disclosure annually as per Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) regulations. 

Note: “Investigator” is defined as the project director or principal investigator and any other person, regardless of title or position, who is responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of research. 

Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee

The Binghamton University Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee (ICIC) maintains an institutional climate where sponsored projects, research and scholarship, and entrepreneurship and intellectual property management are undertaken in a spirit of openness and integrity. The ICIC reports to the Vice President for Research on behalf of the President. 

DHHS  NIH  Policy

The U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conflict of interest regulation can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/coi/index.htm.  If you plan to apply for funding from PHS (directly or flowing thru another agency) you must comply with these regulations.  

Training

Conflict of interest training is recommended for all Investigators engaged in sponsored research activities. COI training is required for each Investigator involved in U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) funded research and other funded research when required by the sponsor. Required COI training must be completed:

• prior to engaging in the research and at least once every four years thereafter;
• when an Investigator is noncompliant with this Policy or with a management plan developed for the Investigator

Binghamton University uses the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) to facilitate this training requirement.  

Procedures for  Online CITI Training

You should see your course listed in the Main Menu. Select the course and begin. It should take you 45 mins to 1 hour to complete. You may come back to the course at any time. There is no time limit. You can retake the quizzes until you pass. The course expires every 4 years. 

*If you do not have an account and have a Binghamton University email, please do the following: Click HERE and log in via the blue LOG IN button and then click REGISTER and chose SUNY-University at Binghamton for your organization (select the one with SSO). Click both boxes that you agree and then choose (Continue To Create Your SSO Username/Password). You should then be prompted to create your account using your Binghamton email and PODS account info.

*If you do not have an account and do not have a Binghamton University email, please do the following: Click HERE and log in via the blue LOG IN button and then click REGISTER and chose SUNY-University at Binghamton for your organization ( Do not select the one with SSO). Click both boxes that you agree and then choose (Continue To Create Your CITI Program Username/Password). You should then be prompted to create your account using your own email.

Questions?

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Nancy Lewis, Assistant Vice President of Research Compliance at (607) 777-3532 or by email at nlewis@binghamton.edu .