The Canada Research Chairs program complies with the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy of the Federal Research Funding Organizations to ensure the effective management of conflict of interest of any participant in the review process and to ensure, during the review process, confidentiality of personal information and confidential commercial information submitted to the program.
A conflict of interest is a conflict between a person’s duties and responsibilities with regard to the review process, and that person’s private, professional, business or public interests. There may be a real, perceived or potential conflict of interest when the review committee member, external reviewer, referee or observer:
- would receive professional or personal benefit resulting from the nomination being reviewed;
- have a professional or personal relationship with the nominee or the nominee’s institution; or
- have a direct or indirect financial interest in the nomination being reviewed.
A conflict of interest may be deemed to exist or perceived as such when committee members, external reviewers, referees or observers:
- are a relative or close friend, or have a personal relationship with the nominee;
- are in a position to gain or lose financially/materially from the funding of the nomination;
- have had long-standing scientific or personal differences with the nominee;
- are currently affiliated with the nominee’s institution, organization or company —including research hospitals and research institutes;
- are closely professionally affiliated with the nominee, as a result of having in the last six years:
- frequent and regular interactions with the nominee in the course of their duties at their department, institution, organization or company;
- been a supervisor or a trainee of the nominee;
- collaborated, published or shared funding with the nominee, or have plans to do so in the immediate future; or,
- been employed by the nominating institution; and/or
- feel for any reason unable to provide an impartial review of the nomination.
The Canada Research Chairs program reserves the right to resolve areas of uncertainty and to determine if a conflict exists.