Typology of conflict of commitment (COC) in the era of inappropriate foreign influence in research

Abstract

Conflicts, in the form of conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment, have become increasingly prominent discussion points for US federal funding agencies and academic research institutions in the era of inappropriate foreign influence in research. Conflict of interest, specifically financial conflict of interest, is precisely defined within U.S. federal regulation precipitating the subsequent establishment of institutional processes for conflict of interest evaluation. Conflicts of commitment, however, have been increasingly referenced but less frequently codified. The variety of scenarios to which conflict of commitment may be applied is also vast, with no typology being presented heretofore. Therefore, a review of the typology of conflict of commitment, particularly as it is used to address research security concerns stemming from inappropriate foreign influence in research, is timely and relevant. This manuscript will review the history of conflicts of commitment in the scientific literature, correlate the focus on inappropriate foreign influence with conflict of commitment, and suggest a contemporary typology for conflict of commitment for practical and regulatory use based on significant references to COI in the literature and federal government documents.

Keywords: Conflict of commitment; financial interest.