Conflict of Interest Oversight Committee (COIOC)

The Conflict of Interest Oversight Committee (COIOC) fully supports the development of relationships with outside entities when the sufficient measures exist to protect the objectivity of the research and the interests of students and research subjects. The COIOC consists of voting faculty members from across the campus (including UCI Health) and non-voting ex oficio members from: Office of Research, Beall Applied Innovation, Academic Personnel, and School of Medicine Academic Affairs.  The COIOC reviews and documents how the conflict of interest issues were addressed and (if necessary) provides recommendations or changes to the Vice Chancellor of Research's designee for final approval.

Conflict of Interest Review Process

Financial interest disclosure for research project by Researcher

Disclose with the Initial Application

  • Human subjects research project
  • Industry sponsored clinical trials and similar studies
  • Public Health Service/Department of Energy/National Science Foundation sponsored projects (initial annual disclosure)

Disclose at Just-In-Time or Notice of Award

  • Non-Governmental sponsored projects (excluding clinical trials and after the fact projects)
Financial interest disclosure for research project by Researcher

Pre-review/Administrative Review by COI Team

Pre-review:  The COI Team reviews the disclosures to identify potential responses that could benefit from additional clarification to facilitate the COIOC's upcoming monthly review and emails the Disclosing Individual if necessary.  Please respond to these emails from the COI Team in a timely manner to avoid a delay.

Administrative Review:  The COI Team will determine if the disclosure qualifies for administrative or expedited review based on the criteria approved by the COIOC.  Studies that qualify will be processed for approval (see "COI Approval Processed by COI Team").

Pre-review/Administrative Review by COI Team

Disclosure review by COIOC

The COIOC conducts their review and if no additional information or changes are required, provides a recommendation to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration (VCR's Designee).  If changes or additional information is required, the COI Team will contact the researcher directly to work together to resolve those issues.

Disclosure review by COIOC

COI Approval processed by COI team

After receiving the AVCR's final approval, the COI Team notifies the other teams (Institutional Review Board, Sponsored Projects Administration, Industry Sponsored Research, University Advancement) as appropriate that the project has been cleared by the COIOC.

The Disclosing Individual (along with their department chair, PI/LR (if not the Disclosing Individual), and COI Point Person/COI Liaison) will receive the COIOC approval email with a description of the mitigating factors on which the COIOC based their approval recommendation.

COI Approval processed by COI team

COIOC Charter

The Conflict of Interest Oversight Committee (COIOC) serves the campus community by reviewing disclosures of financial interest related to research. The COIOC is charged with ensuring that a researcher's personal interest in, or commitment to, entities outside the University's purview does not compromise or appear to compromise his/her objectivity in performing a research project, in mentoring students involved in a research project, or in reporting the results of a research project conducted under the aegis of the University of California.

In assessing research projects for potential conflicts of interest, the COIOC is guided by policies established by the State of California, the Public Health Service (PHS), Department of Energy (DOE) the National Science Foundation (NSF), and UCI related to conflicts of interest in human subjects research. The COIOC operates within a University policy that seeks to achieve a balance between industry/university collaborations and obligations to maintain the public trust. The COIOC reviews research projects sponsored by PHS, DOE, NSF, private industry/business and other non-governmental agencies, as well as projects sponsored by the UC Discovery Grant and human subjects research referred by UCI's Institutional Review Board (IRB).

The COIOC is not a punitive body. Its purpose is to protect the integrity of the research related to outside interests such as  industry/university partnerships, personal investments, or consulting. The COIOC’s recommendations guide the Vice Chancellor for Research's decisions regarding the acceptability of gifts, contracts, or grants funded by PHS, DOE, NSF, or non-governmental sponsors.