Welcome to the University of Cincinnati’s Office for Ethics in Industry Engagement. The office was established as part of UC’s commitment to adhering to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and responsible research. Conflicts of interest have the potential to threaten the integrity of the researcher, the University, academic research, training, or other activities.

Public trust in the research enterprise and the legitimacy of its powerful role in society requires a constant amenability to public scrutiny. Consequently, it is necessary at all times to ensure the continued confidence of the public in the judgment of scholars and clinicians and the dedication of academic research institutions to the integrity of the research enterprise. The University of Cincinnati is dedicated to integrity in its academic, research, and business activities. As part of this mission and the vision of the Office of Research, the Office for Ethics in Industry Engagement is dedicated to promoting ethical business interactions with industry, assisting faculty and staff with strategies for conflict management, and supporting an environment of professional and research integrity. The Office for Ethics in Industry Engagement oversees and implements the University’s institutional, research, faculty, and staff conflict of interest in research policies and procedures, ensures University compliance with applicable conflict of interest regulatory requirements, and provides guidance and support to the University community.

As the University of Cincinnati dedicates more resources and energy toward commercializing important discoveries by faculty, there’s a significant impetus to ensure that both the faculty member and the institution are protected from institutional conflicts of interest. Managing institutional conflicts is a new endeavor for the Office of Research but an important addition as we facilitate the transition of faculty developed therapeutics and devices from patent acquisition to human subject evaluation. The safety and welfare of human subjects is one of the core values of academic institutions; the protection of human subjects will not be compromised by the existence or even the reasonable appearance of institutional conflicts of interest. Policies and procedures will be developed to protect against exposure from risks related to institutional interests. The Office for Ethics in Industry Engagement will be responsible for identifying and mitigating institutional conflicts of interest and will work directly with the Office of Innovation to ensure a seamless process for moving scientific breakthroughs into market opportunities. Both offices strive to be faculty centric, aiming to advance university innovation while protecting the integrity of the research and the institution.

Conflicts of interest that are related to research funded by the Public Health Service will be made publicly accessible in accordance with 42 C.F.R Section 50.605. Requests for this information should be emailed to: ConflictofInterest@uc.edu.