This is an optional Innovation & Leadership (IL) credit. IL credits recognize institutions that are seeking innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and demonstrating sustainability leadership in ways that are not otherwise captured in STARS. Scoring in the Innovation and Leadership section is capped at 10 bonus points total.
Credit Language
IL 7: External Funding Disclosure – version 3.0
Questions & Answers
How has this credit changed between STARS Version 2 and Version 3?
This is a new credit in STARS that allows institutions to earn up to one bonus point when it publishes or requires its researchers to publish all external funding in a format that allows the public to identify potential conflicts of interest. A comprehensive list of differences can be found in the STARS 3.0 Summary of changes.
What types of external funding disclosures qualify under this credit?
To qualify, an institution must require funding disclosure irrespective of whether or not individual journals require disclosure. A policy or practice that simply defers to the policies of the journals in which research is published does not qualify.
- A full bonus point can be earned by institutions that require researchers to publish all external funding in a format that allows the public to identify potential conflicts of interest, e.g., by embedding a financial interest disclosure in the text of published work.
- A partial bonus point can be earned if an institution publishes all external funding from at least one targeted sector (e.g., the fossil fuel industry).
Suggestions for Institutions
- Work with your institution’s research office(s) to determine whether external funding disclosure is in place, and/or to consider implementing such a disclosure.
Potential Data Quality Issues
- To qualify, the institution must publish or require its researchers to publish information about external funding.
- A policy or practice that simply defers to the policies of the journals in which research is published does not qualify.
- If earning the full 1 bonus point, there must be an indication that external funding disclosure applies to all units and research sectors.