Colleges told tighten rules on staff conflicts of interest

Colleges are being required to tighten their policies to avoid conflicts of interest for staff involved in commercialising on-campus research.

The recommendation of an external review precedes publication of a review of the sale of spinout companies at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Knowledge Transfer Ireland, which helps link businesses to Irish research and expertise, commissioned the broader review published yesterday.