COIOC Charter
The Conflict of Interest Oversight Committee (COIOC) serves the campus community by reviewing university research relationships for potential conflicts of interest. The committee 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 in the early 1980s by the State of California, in October 1995 by the Public Health Service (PHS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), and in February 2000 by UCI related to conflicts of interest in human subjects research. The committee 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 projects sponsored by PHS, NSF, private industry/business and other non-governmental agencies, as well as projects sponsored by the UC Discovery Grant and clinical trials referred by UCI's Institutional Review Board (IRB).
The COIOC is not a punitive body. Its purpose is not to discourage industry/university partnerships, personal investments, or consulting, but to protect the integrity of the research related to these activities. The committee's recommendations guide the Vice Chancellor for Research's decisions regarding the acceptability of gifts, contracts, or grants funded by PHS, NSF, or non-governmental sponsors.
