East Carolina University Faculty Manual

APPENDIX I.

ECU POLICY ON CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND COMMITMENT

IX. Definitions

 

1. "Business" means any corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, firm, franchise, association, organization, holding company, joint stock company, receivership, business or real estate trust, or any other legal entity organized for profit or charitable purposes. "Business" excludes University-related entities, which is inclusive of the University, and any private medical practice or any other entity controlled by, controlling, or under common control with the University or with which the University has a contractual relationship for the purpose of providing patient care.

 

2. "Executive Position" refers to any position that includes responsibilities for a material segment of the operation or management of a business, including Board membership .

 

3. The " Immediate Family" of a faculty or EPA non-faculty employee includes his or her spouse, dependent children and/or other dependent(s) as defined in the Internal Revenue Code.

 

4. "Significant Financial Interest" means anything of monetary value, including but not limited to, salary or other payments for services (e.g., consulting fees or honoraria); equity interests (e.g., stocks, stock options or other ownership interests); and intellectual property rights (e.g., patents, copyrights, license agreements, and royalties from such rights). The term does not include:

 

(1)   Salary, royalties, or other remuneration from East Carolina University to its faculty or staff;

(2)   Income from seminars, lectures, or teaching engagements sponsored by public or nonprofit entities;

(3)   Income from service on advisory committees or review panels for public or nonprofit entities;

(4)   An equity interest that when aggregated for the faculty/staff and the faculty/staff’s immediate family, meets both of the following tests: Does not exceed $10,000 in value as determined through reference to public prices or other reasonable measures of fair market value, and does not represent more than a five percent ownership interest in any single entity;

(5)   Salary, royalties or other payments that when aggregated for the faculty/staff and the faculty/staff's immediate family over the next twelve months, are not expected to exceed $10,000 from any one source.

(6)   Mutual, pension, investment or other funds over which the employee or the University does not exercise direct control.

 

5. "Participate" means to be part of the described activity in any capacity, including but not limited to serving as the principal investigator, co-investigator, research collaborator or provider of direct patient care. The term is not intended to apply to individuals who provide primarily technical support or who are purely advisory, with no direct access to the data (e.g., control over its collection or analysis) or, in the case of clinical research, to the trial participants, unless they are in a position to influence the study's results or have privileged information as to the outcome.

 

6. "Sponsored Programs" means research, public service, training and instructional projects involving funds, materials, or other compensation from outside sources under grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.

 

7. "Technology" means any process, method, product, compound, drug, device, or any diagnostic, medical, or surgical procedure developed using University time, facilities, equipment, or funds whether intended for commercial use or not.