Purpose

Danish Data Science Academy is determined to maintain the highest standards of integrity, work ethics, and transparency across all its activities. To succeed in this, the work of all DDSA governing bodies, committees, employees, and grant holders is governed by a set of guidelines:

• Any DDSA decision making is regulated by the present Guidelines for Conflict of Interest
• The conduct at any event organised or funded by the DDSA is regulated by the DDSA Code of Conduct

Any research funded by the DDSA must adhere to The Danish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity; international regulation of research such as the Nurnberg Code and the Helsinki Declaration; and the relevant laws and rules of the country and institution where the research is carried out.

The basic principles underlying the Guidelines for Conflict of Interest are that decisions shall be made in an unbiased way and based solely on the merits of the matter; and that no one shall take part in decisions regarding himself/herself, or anyone close to him/her. The DDSA does not tolerate any practice of nepotism or preferential treatment.

At the same time, however, it is pivotal to the DDSA that its Board and Committee members are highly merited representatives for their field, and that a membership of a governing body of the DDSA is attractive to highly qualified candidates. Accordingly, members and people related to them should not be excluded from applying for funding, but the processing of such applications must be subject to clear procedures and transparency.

The DDSA Guidelines for Conflict of Interest aim at balancing these considerations.

Scope

These Guidelines apply to:

• Any Board- and Committee member as well as Secretariat employees
• Any assessment or prioritisation of applications and the awarding of DDSA PhD and Post Doc fellowships as well as travel-, visit-, event- and course grants and DDSA prizes

Definition

A person may not take part in assessing and deciding on his or her own application.

In addition, a person may have a conflict of interest relative to an application in the following situations:

1. The person has a particular personal, professional, or financial interest in the outcome of the case
2. The person is the manager or supervisor of, or is under the direction or supervision of, the applicant
3. The person has a close family relation to the applicant. Close family relations include:
   • Parents, siblings, and children
   • Spouse/partner/permanent cohabitant and his or her parents, siblings, and children
4. The person’s relation to the applicant may for other reasons impair the person’s impartiality (for example, a personal friendship or an ongoing or recent research collaboration)
5. Other circumstances exist that are likely to significantly impair the person’s impartiality

Procedure

1. A member shall immediately notify the Chair if there is a risk that he or she has a conflict of interest, or if he or she is aware of another potential conflict interest that has not been brought to the Chair’s attention
2. If the Chair has a potential conflict of interest, the remaining members must assign an ad hoc Chair among them to take over the chairing responsibilities
   • While deciding if such a conflict of interest exists
   • If so decided, while the application in question is evaluated and decided upon
3. The Board/Committee shall decide by simple majority if it considers that a conflict of interest exists. In case of a parity of votes, the chair shall hold the casting vote. The member may not participate in that vote and the discussion thereof and shall be requested to temporarily leave the meeting
4. If a conflict of interest is established, the member may not participate in assessing and deciding on the application in case and shall be requested to temporarily leave the meeting
5. If a committee is not quorate, it shall refer the matter to the Board of Directors. Under similar circumstances, the Board of Directors may assign additional ad hoc experts to the relevant assessment(s) by approval of the Managing Director
6. Decisions regarding conflicts of interest must be recorded in the minutes of the meeting
7. A DDSA employee shall immediately notify the Managing Director if there is a risk that he or she has a conflict of interest in relation to an application that should be administratively processed. If the Managing Director has a potential conflict of interest, he or she must notify the Board of Directors
8. If a conflict of interest is established, the employee may not participate in assessing and deciding on the application