Funding Organizations Launch Joint Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy

(2013-03-04) The four federal research funding organizations—the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada—have developed a new, harmonized conflict of interest and confidentiality policy.

The Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy of the Federal Research Funding Organizations will help ensure that the peer review process continues to meet the highest ethical and integrity standards and preserves the trust and confidence of the research community, the government and the public.

The policy will be integrated into each organization’s peer review process in the coming months. Review committee members, external reviewers and observers will be required to agree to comply with the policy and to take necessary measures to protect the public interest in all conflict-of-interest situations.

Questions should be directed to FundingPolicy@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.