Introduction to Potential Conflicts of Interest and Conflicts of Commitment

What is a potential conflict of interest (COI)?

Another example of a potential conflict of interest is…

Your department regularly uses a local real estate agent to escort prospective faculty candidates around Ann Arbor. Your closest friend is a local real estate agent who would like the business and does excellent work. After discussing the situation with your dean or COI/COC manager, as agreed you excuse yourself from participation in the final decision. If asked, you could provide factual information related to the agent.

Through your actions and the actions of your supervisor, what was a potential conflict of interest has been eliminated, yet the University has been able to benefit from the information you have.

It is important that the University be able to ensure that all faculty and staff perform their duties in the best interest of the University and to avoid even the appearance of a COI or COC. For this reason, the University’s primary objective is not to decide whether an actual COI or COC exists but whether others could view a situation as a COI or COC.