A new Policy on Outside Activities and Conflicts of Commitment and Interest has been approved for academic year 2025.
Major updates are listed below. Please review the policy for a full description of modifications.
1. Covered Individuals
The term “Covered Individual” now describes the individuals who must follow the policy. This includes both paid and unpaid:
- Faculty ranks for professor, associate professor, assistant professor (and all of the foregoing whose appointments contain such terms as “specialized”, “research”, “adjunct”, “visiting”, “teaching”, “clinical”, or “emeritus”)
- Academic professionals
- Academic hourlies
- Hourly faculty
- Postdoctoral associates
- Instructors
- Lecturers
The policy specifically includes: - Retired individuals with active appointments
- Individuals with 0% unpaid appointments consistent with those named above who have University Responsibilities involving University research or who have access to University laboratories or equipment for the purpose of research.
Exempted from this requirement are:
- Individuals with 0% unpaid appointments that have University Responsibilities involving only didactic teaching or non-research appointments may be exempted on a year-by-year basis by the Unit Executive Officer (“UEO”) from this Policy’s disclosure requirements.
- Assistants and UEOs can grant exemptions to those who are classified as above in START myDisclosures.
2. Outside Activities
Outside Activities: Any appointment, affiliation, entrepreneurial activity, employment, fiduciary role in an association, or Sponsored or Reimbursed Travel of the Covered Individual with an entity other than the University that reasonably appears related to or competes with the Covered Individual’s University Responsibilities or the University’s mission of education, research, public service and economic development, regardless of compensation or level of financial interest. Outside Activities may be, but are not necessarily, formalized through a written agreement.
Previously ALL income-producing non-university activities were reported on the RNUA. Under the new policy, only those that reasonably appear related or compete with the Covered Individual’s University Responsibilities or the University’s mission must be reported.
3. New Disclosure Requirement: Sponsored or Reimbursed Travel
Covered Individuals must now disclose sponsored or reimbursed travel when paid by ANY entity other than the University of Illinois:
Sponsored or Reimbursed Travel: Expenses for conference registration, transportation, lodging, and/or meals that are related to the Covered Individual’s University Responsibilities when paid by an entity other than the University of Illinois.
4. Access to RNUAs for Courtesy Appointments
When a Covered Individual holds unpaid, zero-percent appointments in multiple units, the UEO of the Covered Individual’s home unit will review the disclosures. UEOs of any unit in which a Covered Individual holds additional unpaid, zero-percent appointments will not approve Outside Activities, but should review disclosures using view only access to the Covered Individual’s disclosures and requests for prior approval of Outside Activities.