What is the Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) Process?
The US Public Health Service (PHS), the Department of Energy (DoE), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and other federal funding agencies require additional compliance steps for Financial Conflicts of Interest (FCOI). This ensures that the agency-funded research is not biased by any investigator’s significant financial interests (SFI’s).
FCOI compliance involves:
- Training
- Disclosure
- Analysis for financial conflicts of interest
Significant financial interests (SFIs) and SFIs of family members must be disclosed when submitting a proposal for or before investigators work on an award subject to additional FCOI compliance.
myFCOI Checklist documents the compliance of all investigators working on each award subject to FCOI.
Read the Policy on Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research here.
Note: There is a separate FCOI reporting process for National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored research. Learn more here.
Who is required to comply with FCOI training and disclosure?
All “investigators” who are responsible for or participate in the purpose, design, conduct, or reporting of the sponsored research must complete training on Financial Conflicts of Interest and disclose Significant Financial Interests.
This may include research team personnel such as:
- principal investigators
- co-principal investigators
- senior/key personnel
- graduate students
- civil service staff
- consultants (not employed by the University of Illinois)
- others who are involved in the research project
What you are required to do for FCOI compliance
If your research project has a qualifying FCOI sponsor (such as Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Energy), there are additional steps that you may need to complete. These could include:
- Complete FCOI training
- FCOI disclosures (report significant financial interests using the Sponsor Specific Questionnaire, or SSQ)
- Certify that personnel are compliant or will be before the award
- Document FCOI training and disclosure compliance
- Identify and report financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs)
Complete and renew FCOI training
Investigators on Public Health Service or Department of Energy awards must complete a university-approved Financial Conflict of Interest training prior to engaging in research, and every four years thereafter (as well as during other times in special cases.)
Learn about FCOI training
The FCOI Checklist Process: Step by Step
If you have to complete the Financial Conflicts of Interest (FCOI) checklist process, what should you expect?
Here is a step-by-step guide to the FCOI Checklist process.
What to disclose for FCOI and SSQ
You must disclose your significant financial interests (SFIs) and SFIs of your family when your funding proposal is submitted to the university or before you work on an award subject to additional FCOI compliance. Learn about what to disclose.
What to disclose for FCOI
Commonly Requested Resources for the FCOI Process
Explore commonly requested resources for the FCOI process.
Online Tools
- STARTmyDisclosures (online)
- myResearch Portal (online)
- myFCOI Checklist (online)
Sponsor Specific Resources
Policy References
Questions about FCOI?
If you have questions please contact the COI office staff by email at coi@illinois.edu, or by phone at 217-333-0034.