Special Notices

All researchers required to complete course

New conflict of interest in research (COIR) regulations by the Public Health Service were enacted into law last summer and are now in effect. Detailed information can be found at the DHHS website – http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/coi/index.htm.The new rules required changes in the existing WVU guidelines and procedures regarding COIR, including introduction of mandatory training and investigator reporting.

The Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC) has worked to minimize the burden that the new regulations will place on our researchers. There will be some changes that will require advanced planning by project PI’s. The new regulations are extensive but the most important changes to the WVU Guidelines and procedures include these requirements:

Disclosure: For each proposed research activity, regardless of funding source, all PI’s and any other person, regardless of title or position, who are responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of current or proposed research, (including collaborators, consultants, and students) must complete a Disclosure of Interest in Research (DOIR) Form before final approval can be given.

Training: All investigators must complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training modules on COIR before engaging in any research activity. That training must be completed every four years thereafter. The course can be completed by going to http://www.citiprogram.org and following the instructions located at http://oric.research.wvu.edu/conint/coir-education-and-training. The ORIC will check to insure completion of the training and testing. (Note: The CITI COIR course is different from the CITI IRB course and will require about 15 minutes to complete.) Travel: Investigators receiving PHS funding (including NIH) must disclose all reimbursed or sponsored travel (i.e., that which is paid on behalf of the Investigator and not reimbursed to the Investigator so that the exact monetary value may not be readily available) related to their institutional responsibilities, within 30 days of that travel. This policy does not apply to travel that is reimbursed or sponsored by a federal, state, or local government agency, an Institution of higher education as defined at 20 U.S.C. 1001(a), an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with an Institution of higher education.

For more information about the new requirements, contact the ORIC at (304) 293-7073.

Download the above information in pdf format: Conflict of Interest Requirement