Conflict of Interest & Commitment (COI/COC): Disclosures for Faculty & Staff

The Conflict of Interest, Conflict of Commitment, and Outside Activities policy (HOP 1.33) is intended to protect the credibility and reputation of UTSA, and its faculty and staff by providing a transparent system of disclosure, approval and documentation of employee activities outside UTSA (including but not limited to: engaging in outside employment or outside board service and owning certain interests in business entities) that might otherwise raise concerns about Conflicts of Interest or Conflicts of Commitment. HOP 1.33 also serves the purpose of ensuring compliance with state ethics laws and Regents’ Rules. Finally, it is intended to provide the framework for rules and procedures that will clearly delineate allowable outside activity.

All UTSA employees are required to complete an annual disclosure in accordance with HOP 1.33 utilizing the UTSA Conflict of Interest Portal.

As a UTSA Employee, it is your responsibility to submit an annual disclosure of your outside activities and update the disclosure within 30 days of any changes. Your disclosure ensures compliance with state ethics laws.

For steps on how to complete your disclosure please click here.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty and all staff engaged in research who are required to disclose and report under HOP 10.04 should continue using UTSA’s existing disclosure form via the UTSA Research Portal Home and should not re-disclose using the UT System online portal. To request prior approval of outside employment/consultation/appointment/positions including self employment, please fill out the following form: Request for Prior Approval.

For questions regarding the Conflict of Interest, Conflict of Commitment and Outside Activities disclosure/approval process, please e-mail the Office of Institutional Compliance & Risk Services at: Compliance@utsa.edu or call 210-458-4992.

• Regents Rule 30104: Conflicts of Interest, Conflicts of Commitment and Outside Activities
• UTS 180 – Conflicts of Interest, Conflicts of Commitment, and Outside Activities
• UTS 175 – Disclosure of Significant Financial Interests and Management and Reporting of Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research
• HOP 1.33 – Conflict of Interest, Conflict of Commitment, and Outside Activities
• HOP 4.32 – Institutional Conflicts of Interest 
• HOP 10.04 – Conflicts of Interest in Research & Intellectual Property

Conflict of Interest (COI)

A significant outside interest or activity of an employee or immediate family member can be considered a conflict of interest if it directly or significantly affects the employee’s performance of his/her institutional responsibilities (Conflict of interest is generally an issue of financial or personal gain).

Conflicts of Commitment (COC)

A state in which the time or effort that a UT employee devotes to an outside activity directly or significantly interferes with the employee’s fulfillment of his/her institutional responsibilities or when the employee uses State property without authority in connection with the employee’s outside employment, board service, or other activity (See Sec. 8, RR 30104). Exceeding the amount of total time permitted by UT System or institution policy for outside activities creates the appearance of a conflict of commitment.

Outside Activities

An outside activity is any activity – compensated or uncompensated – that occurs outside the duties and responsibilities of your UT appointment.

Institutional Responsibilities

Includes professional responsibilities on behalf of UTSA. For faculty, this includes research, teaching, administration and service activities. For staff, this includes the employee’s responsibilities related to their job duties and performance expectations.

To learn more about your role as a supervisor and how to review, approve/deny, and creating a management plan within the Conflict of Interest portal, please take this short 15 minute Conflict of Interest for Supervisor Training (SU0583).