OPACS

Welcome to the online home of the annual process for faculty to report on and certify their compliance with the Faculty Policy on Conflict of Commitment and Interest. Last year, we released a new web-based survey tool, OPACS. Now in its second year, the OPACS application is currently available for certification of faculty's outside professional activity for the 2007-08 Academic Year (or Calendar Year 2008 for Medical School faculty).

This secure site allows members of the Academic Council and Medical Center Line (MCL) Faculty to certify and submit electronically their annual report on outside professional interests as required by University policy. Access to this site is controlled by SUNet IDs. Only the cognizant school dean and a designated senior school administrator (Department Chairs in the Schools of Engineering and Medicine), the Dean of Research and a designated senior administrator, and staff of certain other offices with a need, such as the General Counsel's Office or Internal Audit, have access to reported data.

Annual reporting on outside professional activities serves two major purposes. First, it provides each faculty member with a reminder about the University's policies in this important area. Second, it provides Stanford with an opportunity to review and document each faculty member's compliance with those policies.

Faculty may use the "Begin Survey" button to go directly to the survey questionnaire. Other information linked here includes:

• Background
  Information about faculty conflict of commitment and interest reporting and certification at Stanford, including links to University policies and external regulations
  
• FAQs about the reporting and certification process
  Questions and answers that have been asked by Stanford faculty in the past about conflict of commitment and interest reporting issues
  
• FAQs about this tool
  Questions and answers about how to use the on-line reporting tool including information about navigation through this site, saving, printing and submitting forms, and other technical issues
• Tips for managing outside financial interests
  Guidance related to different situations in which a conflict of commitment or interest might be perceived
  
• Help
  How and where to go for assistance if you need it, including names and contact information for individuals who administer this process for the University and for individual schools
  

Only members of the Academic Council and Medical Center Line faculty have access to this tool for submitting a report and certification. Others who would like to review its content and format may download a pdf copy of the reporting form (for the School of Medicine, or for all other schools).

If you have specific questions regarding the meaning of particular questions, or their applicability to you, please look at the FAQs about the reporting and certification process. If your question is not answered there, please contact the designated office in your school (see the Help page for the names of the cognizant individuals in these offices and their contact information).

If you have specific questions about the use of this reporting and certification system, please review the FAQs about this tool page.

Additional general information about conflicts of interest can be found on the Conflict of Interest Resource Page.

If you have questions regarding this site, please contact Ann George, Assistant Dean, Research and Graduate Policy.