PHSA’s Conflict of Interest (COI) declaration and management process provides oversight to researchers’ external relationships and interests.
Innovative health research demands ongoing collaborative relationships with individuals, groups and organizations external to PHSA.
PHSA has a responsibility to our patients and the general public to ensure that no outside relationships appear to, or actually do, compromise the integrity of research. The PHSA COI Declaration ensures that researchers can be open and transparent with any interests that relate to their PHSA roles or research, and that they can work with their supervisor to manage any interests before an actual conflict exists. The objective is not to restrict research but to support it in an ethical and open way.
For more information, refer to the PHSA
Research Conflict of Interest Policy (updated June 27, 2024) and PHSA
Research Conflict of Interest Protocol. This policy should be reviewed in conjunction with other policies that make up PHSA’s ethics framework.
PHSA’s COI declaration process applies to anyone who conducts research at any, or all of the following across the organization:
- Hospitals
- Health centres
- Programs
- Affiliated research institutes
Any externally-funded, internally-funded, and unfunded research, as well as any research that requires Research Ethics Board (REB) approval are
all subject to PHSA's Conflict of Interest declaration process. For additional information, see:
What is a COI? Provides an overview of conflicts of interest in research, why it is important to disclose them, and common scenarios that could present a conflict of interest.
Researchers and Research Staff: Provides details on who, when, what, and how to declare research-related conflicts of interest at PHSA. This page also explains PHSA's research conflict of interest declaration review process, and suggestions for managing any declared conflicts.
Reviewers: Provides guidance and information for managers and supervisors responsible for reviewing conflict of interest declarations. Also provides additional information on the PHSA research conflict of interest declaration review and appeal process.
National Institutes of Health Financial Conflict of Interest: Provides additional instructions and details for any researcher or research staff member who receives funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Any NIH-funded researcher must complete 2 trainings to be in compliance with the NIH Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) reporting requirements, before completing their PHSA conflict of interest declaration.