Conflict of Interest and Outside Activities

The primary responsibility of university employees is the accomplishment of the duties and responsibilities assigned to their position at the university. External consulting, outside employment or other activities that interfere with those duties and responsibilities should not be accepted.  At the same time, the university recognizes the benefits of employees’ participation in activities of a consultative or advisory capacity with governmental agencies, private industry or other institutions that are not in conflict with the proper discharge of their duties and responsibilities in the public interest.

In keeping with the university's mission to serve its stakeholders, the university believes these activities improve the performance of an employee by virtue of his or her continuing contact with issues/problems in the nonacademic world and serve to promote the university.

Employees of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (“university”) may not:

• Accept or solicit any gift, favor or service that might tend to influence the way the employee performs their job or that the employee knows or should know is being offered with the intent to influence the employee’s conduct;
• Accept other employment or engage in a business or professional activity that the employee might reasonably expect would require or induce the employee to disclose confidential information acquired through their employment at the university;
• Accept other employment or compensation that could reasonably be expected to impair the employee’s independence of judgment in the performance of their duties at the university;
• Make personal investments that could reasonably be expected to create a substantial conflict between the employee’s private interest and the public interest; or,
• Intentionally or knowingly solicit, accept or agree to accept any benefit for having exercised the employee’s official powers or performed the employee’s official duties in favor of another.

For more information see "Conflict of Interest, Conflict of Commitment and Outside Activities" HOOP 20.