Coordinate with University of Tennessee (UT) Supervisor: Activities should be discussed in advance with Supervisor to ensure work:
- does not conflict with UT Conflicts of Interest and Commitment Policy GE0002
- is within UTK Faculty Handbook guidelines,
- does not interfere with UT responsibilities, and
- does not include use of UT resources (computers, equipment, facilities, students, employees, etc.) unless a separate UT facility-use agreement is in place.
Conversation should be documented, such as in e-mail.
Outside Interest Disclosure (OID) Forms: Outside interests should be disclosed on UT OID Forms (within 30 days of new activity/agreement and annually). When completing the OID Form, attach outside agreement and any documentation of prior discussion with supervisor.
Research Conflict of Interest (RCOI) Management Plans: If a researcher’s outside activities could appear to conflict with UT work (for instance, faculty member has outside interest with an organization that also funds UT work), consult RCOI Compliance Officer, Scott Canner at scanner2@utk.edu, to develop a RCOI Management Plan.
Your Outside Agreement: UT is not a party to your outside agreement for consulting work, so you are responsible for ensuring you can meet your external obligations. If you have questions about terms and conditions, you should seek personal legal advice. Here are general guidelines regarding your agreement as it relates to your university responsibilities:
- Scope of work should be clearly defined and separate from your UT work.
- Use of UT resources and outside access to UT facilities should not be included in your outside agreement and should not be an expectation for outside work (unless approved in a separate, facility-use agreement with UT).
- Your outside agreement should not include access to UT data or intellectual property.
- If your outside agreement includes restricted work (such as export controlled work, work with human subjects, etc.), it should be controlled completely outside of UT. This assumes UT is not involved in the work.
- The agreement should be understandable, with clear terms, and should identify all parties involved. It should be clear how data and assets will be controlled & disseminated. If any unusual or unnecessary terms are included, contact the RCOI Compliance Officer.
Proposals: When submitting a UT proposal, outside work and appointments are typically required to be disclosed to sponsor, such as including on current & pending support documents and biographical sketches. Contact UTK Division of Research Administration or the UTIA Office of Sponsored Programs with any questions.
Please notify RCOI Compliance Officer if:
- The outside organization is submitting an SBIR/STTR proposal that involves you.
- You are submitting a UT proposal through Cayuse that involves your outside interest.
The RCOI Compliance Officer does not have a role in processing proposals, but will help if an RCOI Management Plan needs to be created or updated.