Q: Would there be a conflict of interest if I work with a collaborator after contract termination with the institution?

Detailed Question -

I belong to an institution, and the contract term with the institution is to be terminated as of the end of this March. In the meantime I am invited to work as a part timer at the company with which the institution is conducting a collaborative research. The data acquisition of the collaborative research is already completed, and the manuscript is under preparation now.

I am worry about if any conflict of interest is raised by undertaking the offer by the company. My registration at the institution remains valid even after the contract termination, but no reward is paid any more. The reward at the company is estimated within 200 thousands yen per 1 year.

Can I undertake the work at the company in this situation? If yes, which points should I take care?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Since the company is already involved in this collaborative research, conflicts of interest will remain, irrespective of whether or not you join the company.  From your question, the extent of the company’s involvement in the research/manuscript writing is not very clear. The company might just have provided financial support or someone from the company might be a co-author for the paper. Assuming the company does not have an interest in the outcome of the research, this might not be a problem.  However, the authors of the paper will have to disclose this conflict of interest to the journal at the time of submission. 

 

If you join the company as an employee, the situation remains pretty much the same, unless you own stock of the company in which case you stand to benefit directly from the outcome (in case the outcome is financially favorable for the company). However, from your description, it seems that you will just be an employee. So I don't think it will be any different from your current situation. 

 

The one thing that you need to ensure is complete disclosure of existing and potential conflicts of interest at the time of submission of your manuscript. Additionally, it is also advisable to understand whether your institution has any policies about working with a collaborating company before you take a decision.

 

 

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