About iCON

iCON is an online tool that helps individuals to identify, appraise and manage conflicts of interest. It should help you to:

• decide which roles, activities and relationships to take on (and which to continue),

• develop management plans for any conflicts of interest that might arise, and

• explain and justify your decisions to your managers, their peers and external observers. 

iCON is unique in that it guides users through a process of “first principles” reasoning that allows for the nuances and complexities of specific cases to be accounted for. 

A report can be printed, which can be used as the basis of discussion with supervisors and collaborators, attached to conflict of interest declarations, and filed in project documentation as a record of conflict of interest assessment and planning.

Scope and context

Although it might inform these processes, iCON has not been designed to be used for formal risk assessment or performance management. It is also not a certification of “ethicality”, although it can help to demonstrate that genuine efforts have been made to consider the ethical implications of a role, activity or relationship.

iCON is not a policy document and does not duplicate or replace any policies or processes. It should be used in conjunction with them. If there are any inconsistencies between iCON and formal organisational policies, the latter should take precedence.