Skip to main content
Research

What to Disclose

Illinois State Policy 7.1.1 requires disclosure of the following significant outside interests held by individuals/persons and their immediate family members. An investigator (PI) is the principal investigator/project director, co-principal investigators, and any other person at the university who is responsible for the design, conduct, assessment, and/or reporting of research, educational, or service activities funded (or proposed for funding) by an external sponsor.

Individuals/persons are required to disclose:

  1. Any significant outside interest of the investigator that would reasonably appear to affect or be affected by the research, service, or educational activities funded, or proposed for funding, by an external sponsor;
  2. Any significant outside interest of the individual/person in entities whose financial interest would reasonably appear to be affected by the research, service, or educational activities funded, or proposed for funding, by an external sponsor;
  3. Regardless of the above minimum requirements, an individual/person, in their own best interest, may choose to disclose any other financial or related interest that could present an actual conflict of interest or be perceived to present a conflict of interest. Disclosure is a key factor in protecting one’s reputation and career and in protecting the university from potentially embarrassing or harmful allegations of misconduct.

Significant outside interest means anything of monetary value, including, but not limited to:

  • salary or other payments for services (e.g., consulting fees, honoraria, gifts, or employment with an outside organization);
  • equity interests (e.g., stocks, stock options or other ownership interests);
  • intellectual property rights (e.g., patents, copyrights and royalties from such rights); and
  • membership on a governing board;
  • sponsored travel as required

The term does not include:

  1. Salary, royalties, or other remuneration from Illinois State University;
  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 Investigator and the investigator’s spouse and dependent children, meets both of the following tests: does not exceed $5,000 in value as determined through reference to contemporary published prices or other reasonable measures of fair market value, or, does not constitute more than a five percent ownership interest in any single entity; or
  5. Salary, royalties or other payments that when aggregated for the investigator and the investigator’s spouse and family members over the next twelve months, are not expected to exceed $5,000.