Conflict-of-interest policy

The following principles are among those that underlie the University’s policy on conflicts of interest:

• External activities should not compromise an individual’s ability to perform all the activities expected of him or her as a Yale employee.
• An individual should not receive remuneration for the conduct of his or her research or clinical activity at Yale or other Yale activity except through University channels (such as salary).
• An individual should not conduct research or clinical activity at Yale or carry on other Yale business under circumstances in which a reasonable person would infer that the Yale activity was distorted by the desire for or expectation of direct or indirect financial advantage.
• Yale researchers, including students and postdoctoral appointees, must not be precluded from publishing their work by agreements with external sponsors or on account of the interest of an external organization in which a faculty mentor or supervisor has an economic interest.
• Graduate students must not be held to non-disclosure of any aspect of their work in their meetings with individuals at Yale (including members of their dissertation advisory committees).
• Yale research facilities and research personnel should be used for Yale’s research and educational purposes, except when other uses are specifically authorized by the University.
• An individual should not participate directly in the negotiation of research agreements, license agreements, equipment purchases or other arrangements between the University and an organization in which the individual has a significant economic interest.

The policy can be reviewed in its entirety at http://coioffice.yale.edu/