University research increasingly involves graduate students in contractual agreements with industry and federal granting agencies. These sources of funds expect the research they sponsor to benefit both the public through publication and private business, through intellectual property protection. These two expectations sometimes pull in different directions, leading to serious conflicts of interests.

Conflicts of interests (COIs) may undermine graduate students' careers. You must understand these relationships--sometimes very complex--between your mentors, university institutes and external partners. A good introduction is the document produced in 2005 by the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB). COIs are inevitable in these situations; the proper answer is neither to deny they exist nor to try to avoid them completely. It is to disclose them, managing them transparently and forthrightly.

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The assignment for this module is an online self-guided web tutorial. Click once on the link to the assignment. You will see a window requesting you to login. On the left under the label Affiliation Status there is a drop down menu box.

• If you are an NC State student or faculty member, enter your Unity ID and password, then press the Continue Login button.
• Otherwise, change the entry in the drop-down menu from NC State University to Guest Access, then press the Continue Login button.

Under the label Compliance, press the Conflict of Interest button.