Progress Reports to include COI report annually
A Progress Report is a document that describes in detail how far a research study is towards completion. It outlines the activities carried out, tasks completed, and milestones reached.
A progress report is important because it can shed light on systemic issues, loopholes, and other causes of delay or failure—both internal and external—that must be avoided or resolved.
It also places on record accomplishment of tasks and/or explanations of why results were different to what might have been expected. It becomes part of the project’s official documentation. If a question arises about failure to accomplish a task or to report a problem, the progress report can serve to dispel concerns. Similarly, a progress report can play a vital role in the identification, mitigation and management of COI. It becomes imperative to revise and update your progress report when a COI has been detected or is evident.
Researchers who receive funding should be required to submit progress reports annually, including updated COI declarations indicating whether their interests have changed since initial approval and whether these interests now present a potential to include the study conduct and outcome.
For example, if a researcher is appointed to the Board of an entity with a financial interest or is appointed to a national committee investigating policy for determining whether a particular treatment that is the subject of their study is going to be funded by a health care funder would be changes related to COI that must be reported.