Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.49
Liaison Elizabeth Swiman
Submission Date March 15, 2023

STARS v2.2

Florida State University
IN-1: Academy-Industry Connections

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.50 Mike Mitchell
Proposal Development Coordinator
Office of Proposal Development
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution require that all significant consulting contracts be reported to a standing committee charged with reviewing and managing individual and institutional conflicts of interest?:
Yes

The policy language that requires that all significant consulting contracts be reviewed for conflicts of interest:
7A-3 POLICY ON AUTHORSHIP AND RESEARCH INTEGRITY

Financial Conflicts of Interest
Authors shall fully disclose, in all manuscripts to journals, grant applications, and at professional meetings, all relevant financial interests that could be viewed as a potential conflict of interest or as required by the university and/or journal. All such financial interests must also be reported internally as required by the university’s conflict of interest policies.

In addition to Federal financial conflict of interest disclosure regulations, Florida State University and the State of Florida have established regulations prohibiting conflicts of interest.

The Office of Faculty Development and Advancement issues an annual outside activity memorandum that includes a reminder and instructions for using the Conflict Administration Management System (CAMS).

Florida State University uses the Conflict Administration Management System (CAMS) to report, approve, and manage outside activity/employment, as well as financial disclosures for employees at Florida State. The system is also used to identify and manage conflicts of interest within research activities and has components which integrate with the RAMP Grants and RAMP IRB modules. CAMS provides the following features and benefits, including:

automated COI processes and workflow
streamlined disclosure forms
early flagging and resolution of potential conflicts
elimination of redundant data input
tracking of compliance and improvement of response rates
fostering of a culture of transparency
CAMS implementation requires expertise and involvement from key stakeholders throughout the campus community. Since the system has a university-wide impact, governance includes representation from many colleges and central offices to help guide the system administration and offer input on significant policy concerns. CAMS Project Champions have been recruited from central offices, colleges, and centers across campus. These employees help us communicate to stakeholders wit

Does the institution prohibit faculty, staff, students, postdoctoral fellows, medical residents, and other academic professionals from engaging in industry-led “ghostwriting” or “ghost authorship”?:
Yes

The policy language that prohibits industry-led “ghostwriting” or “ghost authorship”:
7A-3 POLICY ON AUTHORSHIP AND RESEARCH INTEGRITY

Unacceptable Authorship
Guest, gift, and ghost authorship are all inconsistent with the definition of authorship, and are unacceptable and a violation of this policy. Guest (honorary, courtesy, or prestige) authorship is defined as granting authorship out of appreciation or respect for an individual, or in the belief that expert standing of the guest will increase the likelihood of publication, credibility or status of the work. Gift authorship is credit, offered from a sense of obligation, tribute or dependence, within the context of an anticipated benefit, to an individual who has not contributed to the work.

Does the institution prohibit participation in sponsored research that restricts investigator access to the complete study data or that limits investigators’ ability to verify the accuracy and validity of final reported results?:
No

The policy language that prohibits sponsored research that restricts investigator access or verification:
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Does the institution ban confidential corporate research?:
No

The policy language that bans confidential corporate research:
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Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s policies regarding industry-sponsored research is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://regulations.fsu.edu/sites/g/files/upcbnu486/files/policies/research/FSU%20Policy%207A-3.pdf

The mission of the Office of Research Compliance Programs (ORCP) is to ensure University compliance with federal, state, and local regulations regarding research. The ORCP is responsible for the development, oversight and monitoring of the research compliance program for Florida State University. FSU's research compliance program encompasses all areas that support or relate to FSU’s research and creative activities, including (but not limited to) conflicts of interest, drones, export controls, research data, research misconduct, responsible conduct of research, compliance training, and foreign influence.

FSU research is reviewed and managed for conflicts of interest and prohibits ghost-authorship . FSU’s Ethics and Compliance Hotline is a simple anonymous way to report activities that involve certain suspected misconduct or violations of FSU policies and procedures, regulations, or state and federal laws. Failure to comply results in review by the Office of Research Compliance.

Contract negotiations are handled by either Sponsored Research Administration (SRA) or FSU Research Foundation (FSURF). Sponsored Research Administration (SRA) is responsible for pre- and post-award functions of the university for awards with U.S. public funding (federal, state, and local governments) and U.S. public funding that is flowed through private organizations. The Florida State University Research Foundation (FSURF) is a not-for-profit corporation that serves as the principal conduit for the Office of Commercialization, whereby the products of university research are made available to the marketplace.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.