Conflicts, sponsors and neutrality
An industry body is only useful if its findings cannot be bought. This page sets out how The Global Risks Alliance (GRA) is designed to manage conflicts of interest and sponsorship: disclosure of funding, declaration of interests, recusal where a conflict bears on a decision, and a firm rule that no sponsor or member controls research. These are the design commitments for GRA's work, set out in written policies before the work they govern opens. This page belongs to trust and integrity.
- 01In briefThe short answer
- 02SponsorshipFunding buys no control
- 03Conflicts of interestDeclared, recorded and acted on
- 04NeutralityNo member's interest is advanced
- 05Key termsTerms used on this page
- 06Raise a concernIf you believe a conflict was not managed
GRA · Institution · service level R0
The short answer.
Conflicts, sponsors and neutrality at GRA are managed by disclosure of funding, declaration of interests, recusal where a conflict bears on a decision and a firm rule that no sponsor or member controls research. These design commitments are set out in written policies, and anyone can report a conflict that was not managed.
Report to outcome.
Fig.How a reported error is reviewed and corrected. Design, not a record.
People and services in Tanzania.
Where people live and how far each division sits from a large city's services, shown for Tanzania as an example geography for this subject.
Funding buys no control.
| Safeguard | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sponsors cannot approve publication | No sponsor or member may approve, delay or suppress a publication, or change its evidence |
| Funding grants no ownership | Paying for work does not transfer ownership of its findings or data |
| Funding disclosed | The source of funding for a piece of work is published with it |
| Rights retained | Participants keep their background rights; membership transfers none |
| No visibility as endorsement | A sponsor's name on a GRA page endorses nothing, and GRA's name on a sponsor's material implies no endorsement |
Declared, recorded and acted on.
- 01
Declare
Contributors, reviewers, council participants and staff declare financial, employment and other interests relevant to the work.
- 02
Record
Declarations are recorded and kept with the work they relate to.
- 03
Recuse
A declared conflict leads to recusal where it bears on a decision, such as the review of a finding or the selection of a contributor.
- 04
Disclose
Material interests of authors are disclosed with the publication.
No member's interest is advanced.
Industry-wide
GRA research serves the industry and the public, never the commercial position of one member.
No advocacy
Evidence offered to supervisors is research, never advocacy for any member, and GRA seeks no privileged access.
No recommendations
GRA recommends no investor, lender, insurer, vendor or project, and takes no pay tied to any transaction.
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Conflict of interest | A situation in which financial, professional or personal interests could compromise, or appear to compromise, judgement in research or review. |
| Recusal | Withdrawing from a decision or task because of a conflict of interest. |
| Sponsor neutrality | The principle that a campaign's funder does not control its findings, claims or editorial decisions. |
| Declaration of interests | A written statement in which an expert or participant discloses financial, professional and personal interests that could constitute a real, potential or apparent conflict of interest, so that others can judge and manage it; WHO uses this procedure for its experts. |
If you believe a conflict was not managed.
Write to integrity@globalriskalliance.com, without membership or payment. The acknowledgement gives a reference and names the next step, and review sits with someone not responsible for the work in question. Related pages: independence and conflicts, antitrust and competition and corrections and concerns. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) publishes its approach on independence and conflicts.
Questions and answers.
Does a sponsor see findings before publication?
Are GRA's funders listed?
Can a member sponsor research about its own sector?
Are the policies in force?
Around GRA.
Start with an enquiry.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.