Overlap between an Outside Interest and a Research Project occurs when there is Relatedness.
“Relatedness” is the condition in which it may reasonably appear that decisions made by the Investigator in the performance of his/her institutional responsibilities could directly and significantly affect the value of his/her Significant Financial Interests or be in conflict with Significant Personal Interests or Foreign Interests.
Relatedness includes situations in which an Investigator’s Outside Interests would reasonably appear to affect, or to be affected by, the individual’s Research or other institutional responsibilities, as well as situations in which the Outside Interest involves an entity whose financial interests would reasonably appear to affect, or be affected by, the Investigator’s Conduct of Research or other institutional responsibilities.
Relatedness is not a judgment on whether the Investigator would deliberately make choices in the Conduct of Research or the performance of his/her Institutional Responsibilities based on considerations related to his/her Significant Financial Interest, Significant Personal Interest or Foreign Interest. Rather, “Relatedness” refers to the condition in which it may reasonably appear that choices made in the Conduct of Research or other performance of the individual’s institutional responsibilities could be directly and significantly influenced by the existence of Outside Interests.