An example of an institutional COI is:

An example of an institutional COI is:

A. One of the organization’s deans is the vice-chair of the organization’s IRB

B. The organization gives scholarships to some post-doctoral researchers

C. An industry sponsor pays for the construction of a new research laboratory at the organization

D. The organization’s president is a member of the board of trustees for a local non-profit organization that does not sponsor research at the organization

Answer: C. An industry sponsor pays for the construction of a new research laboratory at the organization

The presented scenario corresponds to the situation of an institutional COI. Institutional COIs are financial interests or arrangements that may jeopardize an organization’s research objectives, educational mission or other principal functions.

Here, an industry sponsor investing in the establishment of a new research laboratory provides a large source of funding that links the organization and the sponsor. This relationship could potentially lead to the bias of the organization’s research focus, approaches/equipment used, or even the findings of research undertaken in the new laboratory. For instance, the organization may be inclined to provide positive outcomes concerning the sponsor’s agenda to keep the partnership going or receive further support.

Such a situation may cause different ethical issues. The potential disadvantage may lie in the fact that the researchers might find themselves under pressure to work on projects that reflect the sponsor’s priorities rather than the various other valuable directions of research that could be undertaken. There can be pressure to lower or conceal negative results that will offend the sponsor. The organization might also be influenced to provide special consideration about other aspects like access to the data of the research or ownership of the rights.

Nevertheless, it has to be pointed out that this relationship per se does not guarantee that misconduct will take place. However, it introduces a source of subjectivity which if not properly dealt with and declared affirms the research’s ethical considerations. As a rule, institutional COIs require rather strict bearings and controls in the organizations, which funded the research, to guarantee their impartiality in using the sponsor facilities.