Conflicts of Interest and Standards of Ethical Conduct

The IAI policy defines conflicts of interest as divided loyalties arising from personal interests, outside affiliations, or favors. It mandates that all personnel, including Directorate staff, the Executive Council (EC), and the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), disclose potential conflicts. The policy outlines specific disqualifying criteria for proposal reviewers—such as current employment at an applicant institution or collaboration with investigators within the last 36 months—and prohibits Directorate staff from being applicants. It also imposes a one-year disqualification period for staff participating in programs after their service ends.

• The IAI identifies three primary sources of conflicts of interest: personal interest, outside affiliations, and favors. Personal interest involves using an IAI position to benefit oneself or friends; outside affiliations involve relationships with institutions or individuals requesting funding; and favors include accepting gifts or travel expenses from potential grantees.
• Specific conditions disqualify personnel from participating in the proposal decision process. These include current employment, consultancy, or board membership at an applicant institution, as well as personal relationships such as being a family member, business partner, or thesis advisor/student of an investigator.
• The policy sets strict boundaries for different IAI roles: Directorate staff are prohibited from being applicants; SAC members may be investigators but cannot contact the IAI regarding their project or participate in evaluations of the relevant program; and Member State Delegates are barred from funding decisions where they have a conflict of interest.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2000). Conflicts of Interest and Standards of Ethical Conduct. http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IAI-EC-11-Conflicts-of-Interest-Approved.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Conflicts of Interest and Standards of Ethical Conduct. 2000. http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IAI-EC-11-Conflicts-of-Interest-Approved.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Conflicts of Interest and Standards of Ethical Conduct |date=8 June 2000 |url=http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IAI-EC-11-Conflicts-of-Interest-Approved.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2000conflicts, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Conflicts of Interest and Standards of Ethical Conduct}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2000}, month = jun, url = {http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IAI-EC-11-Conflicts-of-Interest-Approved.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }