Conflits d'intérêts
The core mandate of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Program is social and economic benefits for Canada, garnered by supporting interactions between university researchers and the private sector. In this context, independent and transparent governance processes are key to maintaining public confidence in the NCE program. For this reason, the NCE has developed a Conflict of Interest Framework which has been implemented by the Stem Cell Network.
Above and beyond the management of potential, apparent or actual conflicts of interest, the SCN Board of Directors and independent Expert Review Panels have identified two specific issues that warrant special attention:
- In general it will always be important to ensure that an NCE is not dominated by participants from one group or another to the detriment of either the Network as a whole or other Network members. SCN has to be particularly aware of this following its establishment of Aggregate Therapeutics Inc. (ATI), a company in which 37/71 SCN researchers and 16/24 member institutions are shareholders.
- The high degree of public interest in this field requires that Network processes are transparent and beyond reproach. Examples of areas where public-private interactions will be subject to particular public scrutiny include funding decisions in general, the use of human embryos for research purposes, and the advancement of clinical trials.
In December 2005, the SCN Board established a task force to review SCN’s current approach to conflicts of interest, and to make recommendations to the Board about how to enable and ensure exemplary practice within the Network. This framework was subsequently reviewed by the SCN Board Ethics Committee and the Board as a whole, and was adopted on June 19, 2006.
This framework document reflects the recommendations of the review process and represents a comprehensive approach to the management of potential, apparent, or actual conflict of interest in the Stem Cell Network.
Download Framework (pdf)