• For a high level overview of the activities requiring prior approval and disclosure, watch this video: Overview of Disclosure Requirements for Penn State Faculty and Researchers (9m, 40s)
• Review this resource: Disclosure Requirements for Penn State Faculty (webpage)
• Register for Live Training: [available for registration this fall] (live instructor-led session)

Welcome to COINS, Penn State’s online disclosure system for outside activities and interests. Use the information below to help you get started with using the system.

• What is COINS? (webpage)
• Access and Navigate Your Disclosure Profile (webpage)

• Read about what is changing and what will stay the same: What is Changing and What is Not Changing (webpage)
• See the differences: Compare current COINS and the new version of COINS (webpage)

Review helpful tips and resources to help you make the transition to the new version of COINS: Checklist: Get Ready for the New Version of COINS.

• Get a quick overview of how to submit: COINS Quick Start Guide (webpage).
• See detailed step-by-step instructions for submitting your Disclosure Profile: Complete and Submit Your COINS Disclosure (webpage).

When you submit your disclosure in COINS, your it will be administratively reviewed by the COI program. If no conflict is found, then no further action is required from you.

What If I Have a Conflict?

If there is a potential conflict, your disclosure will be reviewed by the COI Committee, which is a committee comprised of senior and administrative leaders, faculty peers and staff. The COI program staff will work with you to prepare for the COI Committee review by gathering any additional information needed about your significant financial interest (SFI) and related research. It is possible that the COI Committee will determine that your SFI needs to be managed. See the Review and Accept Management Plans Module in this Learning Path for more information on what happens if you are assigned a management plan.

See this webpage for information on how and when you need to submit a prior approval request, and read about what happens after you submit: Overview of Prior Approval for Outside Professional Activities.

• Get a quick overview of how to submit a Prior Approval Request: COINS Quick Start Guide for Prior Approval Requests.
• See detailed step-by-step instructions: Create, Submit, and Discard a Pre-Approval Request (webpage).
• Need a reminder of the activities that require Prior Approval per policy AC80? Review this webpage: Policy AC80: Required Prior Approval.

• The form is first routed to the COI office who will verify that prior approval is needed for the activity, and if so, check it for compliance against U.S. Federal regulations and University policy.
• After COI review, the request is routed to your Department Head for final review and approval.
• You view a graphic of the process on this webpage: Overview of Prior Approval for Outside Professional Activities.

If the COI office or your department head has questions about your Prior Approval Request, they may send you a request for clarification in COINS. See this webpage for step-by-step instructions on how to respond: Respond to a Clarification Request in COINS.

• If your prior approval request is approved, you must disclose the entity and the associated activity within 30 days of starting the activity by updating your COINS profile.
• See how to locate approved requests and add them to your COINS Profile: Add Approved Requests to Your Disclosure Profile (webpage).

• If COI staff administratively review your disclosure and determine there is a potential conflict, your disclosure will then be reviewed by the COI Committee, which is a committee comprised of senior and administrative leaders, faculty peers and staff.
• The COI program staff will work with you to prepare for the COI Committee review by gathering any additional information needed about your significant financial interest (SFI) and related research.
• If a Conflict of Interest is identified by the COI Committee, a management plan may be implemented to manage, reduce, or eliminate the conflict. You can provide feedback and request changes to the management plan by emailing coinsadmin@psu.edu. 

• Read more about management plans, including common terms and scenarios: What is a Management Plan? (webpage).
• If you have been provided with a management plan, it is important to carefully review and then accept the document in COINS: Review and Accept a Management Plan (webpage).

NOTE: If you have any questions or concerns about your Management Plan after you have reviewed it in COINS, please contact COI staff at coinsadmin@psu.edu.

• Email: coinsadmin@psu.edu
• Phone: (814) 865-1775
• Book time with a COI Analyst: Bookings app (Monday – Friday)
• Web: researchsupport.psu.edu/orp/coi/