Types of Conflict of Interest

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Conflict(s) of Commitment (COC) means a situation where a University employee’s external relationships or outside professional activities interfere or compete with the University’s educational, research, or service missions or impede the University employee’s ability to perform or fulfill the full range of their institutional responsibilities, as stipulated under Maryland Public Ethics Law. This applies regardless of whether the activity holds value to the University or contributes to the employee's professional development.

Conflict(s) of Interest (COI) means situations in which University employees and graduate research assistants (GRAs) or their family member(s) are in a position to gain, or appear to gain, financial advantages or personal benefits stemming from their roles within the University. Such benefits can occur through the conduct of outside professional activities or as a result of their research, administrative, or educational actions or decisions made while working at the University. 

Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) means that because of activities or relationships with other persons or organizations, an individual is unable or potentially unable to render impartial assistance or advice to the Government, the individual’s objectivity in performing the contract work is, or has the potential to be, impaired, and/or an individual has an unfair competitive advantage.

Institutional Conflict of Interest (ICOI) An institutional conflict occurs whenever the financial interests of the institution, or of a University Official acting within his or her authority on behalf of the institution, might affect, or appear to affect, the objectivity of institutional processes for the selection, design, conduct, reporting, review, or oversight of the University enterprise. For the purposes of evaluating ICOI, activities related to research, teaching, and outreach, and the administration of those functions, singly and collectively, represent the University enterprise.