CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Definition of conflict of interest

Conflict of interest is defined as a situation in which a person's personal or family interests may influence or appear to influence the decisions that person makes in the exercise of their responsibilities. This type of conflict can compromise the objectivity, impartiality, or integrity of the actions of the person involved, diminishing confidence in their ability to make decisions fairly and ethically.

The proper management of conflicts of interest is crucial to ensure transparency, fairness and trust in different areas, such as research, public administration, the business sphere and other activities where decisions may affect third parties or the public interest.

Conflict of interest in the selection of evaluators and members of the tribunal

To guarantee impartiality and objectivity in the evaluation of doctoral theses, it is essential to avoid conflicts of interest in the selection of external evaluators and members of the examining board.

Firstly, thesis supervisors must make a proposal for external evaluators and members of the examining board, ensuring that there is no conflict of interest.

Secondly, the academic committees must evaluate the suitability of the external evaluators and members of the examining board. If the committees detect a possible conflict of interest with the doctoral student and/or thesis supervisors, they will not accept the proposal and will ask the thesis supervisors to submit a new one, reserving the right to establish new external evaluators and members of the examining board themselves.

Thirdly, the responsibility and obligation to declare whether there is a conflict of interest with the doctoral student and/or the thesis supervisors falls on the external evaluators and the members of the examining board. In the event that they have a conflict of interest, they must refuse to participate in the evaluation of the doctoral thesis, either as external evaluators or as members of the examining board.

Reasons for conflict of interest

a) Personal or family relationships: having a marriage bond or a similar de facto situation, consanguinity relationship, up to a fourth degree or second degree of affinity, with the doctoral student and/or with his or her thesis supervisors, in accordance with the provisions of Law 40/2015, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector.

b) Scientific production: being a co-author of the articles included in the thesis, published or not.

c) Having positive or negative prejudices regarding the work of the doctoral student due to personal or professional interests, derived in particular from past or current relationships with the doctoral student.

d) Have positive or negative prejudices regarding the focus of the doctoral student's study.