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Significant Financial Interest (SFI)

A Significant Financial Interest means any financial interests held by an investigator (and/or his or her immediate family), or by a business entity controlled or directed by the investigator or a member of his or her immediate family, that has monetary value, whether or not the value is readily ascertainable, including:

  • Remuneration (e.g. salary, consulting fees, honoraria, paid authorship, etc.) received from a publicly traded entity in the twelve months preceding disclosure, and the value of any equity interest (stock, stock option, or other ownership interest) in the entity at the date of disclosure that, when aggregated, exceed $5,000
  • Remuneration, (e.g. salary, consulting fees, honoraria, paid authorship, etc.) received from a non-publicly traded entity of greater than $5,000 in the twelve months preceding the disclosure
  • Any equity interest (e,g. stock, stock option, or other ownership interest) in a non-publicly traded entity
  • Royalty income from intellectual property rights not arising out of university employment, which are not assigned to organizations created to manage such rights on behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (WARF)
  • Reimbursed or sponsored travel related to institutional responsibilities that is not reimbursed or sponsored by a government agency, a U.S. university, an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with a U.S. university
  • Service in positions with fiduciary responsibility , including senior managers (e.g. presidents, vice presidents, etc.) and members of boards of directors, whether or not the investigator receives compensation for such service.

Significant financial interests do not include the following:

  • Salary, royalties, or other remuneration received from UW-Madison, the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation, or the VA
  • Royalty income from intellectual property rights arising out of UW-Madison employment that are assigned to organizations created to manage such rights on behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (WARF)
  • Income from investment vehicles, such as mutual funds and retirement accounts, as long as the investigator does not control the investment decisions made in these vehicles
  • Income from seminars, lectures, or teaching engagements sponsored by a domestic government agency, a university, an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with a university
  • Income from service on advisory committees or review panels for a domestic government agency, a university, an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with a university
  • Travel related to institutional responsibilities that is reimbursed or sponsored by a domestic government agency, a university, an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institute that is affiliated with a university.