Compliance

Members of the Research Foundation community are committed to the key RF values of integrity, accountability, and upholding the highest ethical standards in all aspects of our business. Managing SUNY’s $1 billion research portfolio requires that the RF comply with more than 100 federal and state government laws and regulations, as well as with sponsor and university policies and procedures.

The Research Foundation Office of Compliance Services provides expertise and guidance across the RF and SUNY system in the areas of ethics, risk management, internal controls and a wide array of programmatic areas, The staff coordinates corporate-wide policy and procedure development and training related to such activities as conflicts of interest, investigations, effort reporting, cost transfers, and export controls.

The RF’s commitment to compliance is imbedded in the expectation that all members of the organization will meet the professional, ethical and regulatory standards associated with their individual role. We have an obligation to the public trust that is critical to fulfilling the RF mission to serve SUNY through: 

  • Our collective commitment to the highest ethical standards, starting with each employee’s complete review, understanding, and adherence to the RF Code of Conduct (PDF) Code of Conduct (Multimedia);
  • The guidance of SUNY scholars, researchers and administrators in the areas of transparency, regulatory compliance, conflicts of interest and societal considerations as expressed in the enterprise-wide Statement on Research Integrity‌; and
  • Regular risk based audits conducted by RF Internal Audit to measure the effectiveness of the Research Foundation’s internal controls and Research Foundation staff engage in ongoing risk assessment activities to add or adjust control measures, as necessary. 

Ethical behavior is a key aspect of all successful organizations. The RF’s goal of excellence and its dedication to promote high standards of ethics rests upon the commitment of each individual to fully embrace and understand the concepts of ethics, integrity, and accountability. The Research Foundation’s Speak Up RF - Ethics Hotline serves to maintain an ethical, professional, and law abiding work environment, providing a simple, anonymous way to confidentially report activities that may involve improper conduct or violations of RF policies, procedures and processes. 

 

Link to
Policies and Procedures