Conflict of Interest / Intellectual Property / Technology Transfer

Conflict of Interest Guidance

Postdoctoral Scholars Freedom to Publish

Freedom to publish and disseminate results are major criteria for assessing the appropriateness of any research project, particularly those involving students and postdocs. Consistent with the mission of the University, the integrity of a student's academic experience shall be preserved, including the ability to complete and publish a thesis or dissertation and to freely publish, present, or otherwise disclose the results of research both within the academic community and to the public at large. The University precludes assigning to extramural sources the right to keep or make final decisions about what may or may not be published with respect to a research project.

Within this general understanding, the University also realizes that circumstances may arise where certain restrictions or limitations may be appropriate. Short, reasonable delays may be appropriate, for example, to allow the research sponsor to review publications for inadvertent disclosures of proprietary data or potentially patentable inventions. In all cases, however, these limitations or restrictions may not be more restrictive than those borne by faculty conducting similar research under University auspices.

Involvement in Adviser's Company

Graduate students and postdocs may not be involved in a company in which their dissertation adviser or faculty mentor has a significant financial interest:

  1. "Involvement" means they may not be employed in the company, undertake training in the company, or do their dissertation research in the company.
  2. "Significant Financial Interest" is defined as one or more of the following held or received in the previous 12 months by the faculty member or the faculty member's spouse or dependent children:
    • An investment in a private entity, by the faculty member or a member of the faculty member's immediate family (spouse/registered domestic partner or dependent children), worth more than $10,000, including stock options and profit sharing; or
    • A position in a private entity as an employee, director, officer, partner, consultant, trustee, or any management position; or
    • Income from a private entity, including consulting income, totaling $10,000 or more in value within a 12-month period.

Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer

Scripps Corporate Alliance

Scripps Corporate Alliance is a program launched in 2017 to facilitate relationships with companies that align with Scripps research and educational programs. Corporate members receive assistance in building relationships with faculty and research staff that may lead to research collaborations, sponsored research, and technology licensing. Corporate members receive assistance in recruiting students and postdoctoral fellows for internship and full-time positions and administrative support in facilitating their relationships at Scripps. 

Intellectual Property, Commercialization, and Technology Transfer

The UC San Diego Office of Innovation and Commercialization (OIC) is part of the Office of Research Affairs. OIC has established a campus-wide innovation platform to build a systemic and sustainable innovation culture, to create a vibrant regional ecosystem, and to accelerate commercialization of campus inventions.

Disclosing a technology or concept to the OIC is the first step in accessing the legal, entrepreneurial, and business resources available at the institution to protect, grow, share, license, or spinout your technology. To maximize the potential for your technology to be protected through a patent, it is essential to disclose it as soon as possible (i.e., well before public presentation or publication).

Inventions generated at UC San Diego during the course of research may be owned in part or fully by the University of California. There may be opportunities to license the invention to an outside entity for use, or the inventor may be interested in creating a business around his or her invention. Disclosing the invention to the OIC is essential for evaluating appropriate options for intellectual property and commercialization. There is a myriad of resources at UC San Diego to educate and support students, staff, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty on commercialization.

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