MJFF Conflict of Interest Policy

Applications for funding are evaluated by MJFF scientific staff and external reviewers familiar with the goals of the funding program and MJFF research strategy.  To ensure an impartial process, a reviewer will be excluded from serving on a grant review committee (GRC) if:  

• The reviewer is named on an application as a Principal investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) to the funding opportunity under review.

A reviewer may serve on a GRC but will be excluded from reviewing certain applications if: 

1. The reviewer is named on an application as a sub-contractor and/or consultant to the funding opportunity under review.
2. The application originates from the reviewer's own institution regardless of whether or not the reviewer had any involvement in preparing the application.
3. The reviewer, the reviewer’s immediate family, or close professional associate(s) has a financial or vested interest in the outcome of the proposed research (even if no significant involvement is apparent in the proposal being considered). 
4. The reviewer has been involved in discussions regarding the application, is a provider of services, cell lines, models and reagents, or other materials, or writer of a letter of reference for the applicant.  
5. The reviewer has any other relationship which could compromise, or cause a reasonably-informed outsider to doubt the objectivity of their review. 

When a conflict of interest is deemed to be present, the reviewer will be recused from discussion of the proposal and scoring process.  Moreover, the results of the review will not be made known to the conflicted reviewer until after the review meeting or process is complete.