Our trustees have a duty to serve the aims of the Society impartially, declaring any potential conflict of interest, and withdrawing from any related decision-making process.
The board believe that research should be ethical at all times and that any relationships (financial or otherwise) between students, researchers or trustees and industry (either directly or via any industry-supported research body or advisory committee or board) is a potential conflict of interest depending on the precise nature of the relationship.
The SSA awards funding and prizes to people and projects that further the scientific understanding of addiction. Please note the following SSA position on conflicts of interest and eligibility to apply for schemes:
- Someone is ineligible to apply if they are an employee of the alcohol, cannabis, gambling, nicotine, pharmaceutical, or tobacco industries. This exclusion also applies if they are an employee of an Industry Social Aspect Organisation*.
- Someone is ineligible to apply if they have received funding of any kind, either directly from, or through representatives of, the alcohol, cannabis (except pharmaceutical), gambling, nicotine (except pharmaceutical), or tobacco industries. This exclusion also applies if they have received funding from an Industry Social Aspect Organisation*.
- To be eligible to apply, someone must provide details about all potential conflicts of interest when requested. This information will be used to inform decision-making and applications may be rejected if the SSA deems there to be a risk of bias, ethical concerns, or a risk to the reputation of the SSA.
- *Industry Social Aspect Organisations are those that are funded by addictive product industries – sometimes through secondary organisations – that often have a stated purpose to reduce the harms of those addictive products.
