Independent Substantive Review Committee (ISRC)

The University of California, Santa Cruz, has high standards for Faculty conduct, including the conduct of research, as discussed in the University of California Faculty Handbook and the Academic Personnel Policy Manual. All UCSC Investigators are expected to carry out research consistent with these standards.

Even when these high standards have been met, however, conflicts of interest or perceptions of conflicts may still occur when there is a convergence of an Investigator's private interests with his or her research interests, such that an independent observer might reasonably question whether the Investigator's professional actions or decisions are improperly influenced by considerations of personal financial gain. Such conflicts are common in modern research universities and do not necessarily impugn the character or actions of any individual.

Although the University does not require Investigators to disclose their personal financial interests as a matter of routine, the University is sometimes obligated by external requirements to require disclosure processes. Such disclosure processes are the most widely accepted method for identifying and managing actual or potential conflicts of interest related to sponsored projects in public institutions.

It is the policy of the UCSC that any Investigator (that is, any University employee responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of a sponsored project at the University) that is proposing a sponsored project with funding from NSF, PHS (Including NIH) or a private (profit or non-profit) agency, is required to submit a disclosure of interests. When the University determines that such an interest might reasonably appear to be directly and significantly affected by the sponsored project, the University will take steps either to manage or to eliminate the conflict.