Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.67
Liaison Aurora Sharrard
Submission Date Feb. 13, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Pittsburgh
IN-1: Academy-Industry Connections

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.50 Gena Kovalcik
Codirector
Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation
"---" 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:

Policy RI 01 Conflict of Interest Policy for Research

II C. Conflict of Interest Committee

The Senior Vice Chancellor for Research (SVC-R) is the designated University
Official responsible for the COI policy as it relates to research and technology
transfer agreements. The SVC-R has authorized a Conflict of Interest Committee
(COIC) -- a standing committee to receive COI disclosures and to review and manage the risks associated with the disclosed interests.


Does the institution prohibit faculty, staff, students, postdoctoral fellows, medical residents, and other academic professionals from engaging in industry-led “ghostwriting” or “ghost authorship”?:
No

The policy language that prohibits industry-led “ghostwriting” or “ghost authorship”:
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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?:
Yes

The policy language that bans confidential corporate research:

RI 08- Rights, Roles, and Responsibilities of Sponsored Research Investigators states, “The University should not accept awards or enter into agreements for the support of research which confer upon another party the power to censor or exercise effective veto over the dissemination of results and conclusions arising from research,”  and further states, “No agreement should preclude the right of researchers to publish the results of their research.”  Confidential corporate research typically precludes the University from publishing and/or requires express written consent of publications, which would violate this policy.  (See also, University Policy RI 05, “Patent Rights and Technology Transfer,” which states, “All publication rights relating to sponsored research or research supported entirely or largely by University resources are reserved by the University for itself and its faculty members, staff, and student,” subject to certain conditions.)


Website URL where information about the institution’s policies regarding industry-sponsored research is available:
https://www.policy.pitt.edu/university-policies-and-procedures/university-policies-category/research-innovation-policies

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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.