Page content
FAQs on Declaring Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual’s personal, financial, or external interests could influence, or could be perceived to influence, their professional judgement, responsibilities, or decision‑making at the University.
Conflicts can be:
- Actual: A real conflict exists now.
- Potential: A conflict may arise in the future.
- Perceived: A reasonable person might believe a conflict exists, even if it does not.
Disclosures must be made to your line manager and then recorded through the University’s online disclosure form. Most disclosures take only a few minutes and help ensure accountability and transparency.
Yes. Conflicts must be disclosed to your line manager and recorded on the University's online disclosure form even if you believe your judgement is not affected. The Conflicts of Interest Policy focus on avoiding the perception of bias as well as actual risk. Transparency protects both you and the University.
No. Serving as an external examiner is a normal, widely accepted academic activity intended to provide independent scrutiny of assessments, academic standards, and award decisions between institutions.
Potentially. Having a financial interest in a company that may benefit from your academic research can create a conflict. You should disclose the interest and ensure your teaching or research duties are not compromised.
Usually, yes, but it must be disclosed and approved in advance. The work cannot interfere with your university responsibilities, use University resources inappropriately, or relate to activities that could bias your academic duties. For further information, see the University’s Consultancy Policy.
Yes — a respondent can state “to the best of my knowledge” when completing a Declaration of Interests form if they genuinely do not hold detailed information about a family member.
Simply having a family member employed at the University is not a conflict of interest by itself. Large Universities often employ thousands of staff, so family members working in different areas is normal and expected. However, a conflict of interest does arise when your family relationship could influence — or appear to influence — your professional responsibilities, decisions, or access to information.
No — having a family member who is a student at Ulster University is not automatically a conflict of interest. Many staff members have children, partners, or relatives who study at the institution, and this is normal and expected. A conflict arises only if your role at the University gives you influence over your family member’s academic experience or outcomes.
Yes. Directly teaching or assessing a family member can compromise fairness (or the perception of it).
Yes. Even if you are not directly involved with the company, a close family member’s financial interest can appear to influence your decision-making. You should disclose the relationship before any agreement is made.
Yes. Even non‑financial personal relationships can create the appearance of bias. You should disclose the relationship and recuse yourself from the selection process.
It can be. You should declare the board membership and avoid participating in University decisions that directly affect that organisation.
All University committee Chairs should request declarations of interest for agenda items at the start of each meeting, so they can be recorded in the minutes along with any mitigating actions.
You should discuss any potential conflicts of interest with your line manager.
You do not need to complete a separate form. If you have identified any potential conflicts, the system automatically forwards your completed form to your Line Manager. Your Line Manager will then review the declaration and follow up with you if any clarification or management actions are required. If no conflicts are declared, this is recorded, and no further action is usually needed.
