Conflict of Interest

The intent of the University of North Dakota's conflict of interest policy is to foster university activities and outside professional activities as positive contributors to the University of North Dakota. The University sees great value in outside activities that advance and communicate knowledge through interaction with government, industry, the community, and the public, and through consulting and professional opportunities. The conflict of interest policy establishes guidelines to allow faculty and staff at the University of North Dakota to identify potential conflicts, and to manage those conflicts in ways that balance the integrity and interests of the University of North Dakota with those of each University employee.

The University of North Dakota Conflict of Interest Policy provides a guiding framework for all personnel for the identification, disclosure, management, and monitoring of non-University activities that is in accordance with state law, State Board of Higher Education policies, institutional statutes, and federal regulations. The UND Conflict of Interest Policy defines the nature of conflicts of interest, provides principles that guide identification and disclosure of such conflicts, identifies the responsibilities of all parties involved, defines disclosure procedures, and provides a structure for enforcement.

The following is a link to UND's Conflict of Interest Policy:

UND Conflict of Interest Policy

Federal and UND regulations require that conflict of interest forms be on file for principal investigators (PI's) of sponsored project proposals submitted to external funding agencies. Here is a listing of the conflict of interest forms that are required:

• UND Financial Interests Disclosure Document (required annually)
• UND Conflict of Commitment Document (required annually)
• UND Description of Financial Interest Activity Document (required if a conflict of interest has been identified)
• UND Certification of Filing of Financial Interests Disclosure Document (required annually)

All employees except those in the 6000 and 7000 job bands (with a few exceptions) are to complete Form 1 and Form 2.  Form 3 is only to be completed if there is a conflict of interest noted on the previous forms.  Form 4 is for principal investigators only.  All employees are required to complete the forms annually and the completed forms should be sent to Research Development & Compliance, Stop 7134.

Note: If the employee’s status changes during the year regarding financial/business interests and/or time commitment, such that it affects the design, conduct, or reporting of the research or educational activities of a proposal, Forms 1, 2, and 3 must be resubmitted to reflect the change.