Declaration of interest

The British Fertility Society requires all committee members to complete the Declaration of Conflict of Interest form. All completed original forms will be retained for a period of one year so that they are available in the event that the BFS is audited. Completed forms for each Committee member must be submitted at the time of the first Executive or Committee meeting of the year.


Information for Committee:

  1. All Committee members financial or in-kind relationships encompassing the previous two years, up to and including the current year, must be declared and disclosed.

Examples of relationships that must be disclosed include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Personal financial Interests: This involves personal gain directly. It does not cover spouses or partners or other family members. However, you are not precluded from declaring such an interest where you feel this would be desirable. Examples of financial interests include:
    • Employment, consultancy, directorship or fee-paid work which attracts regular income, cash, or in-kind payment
    • Any direct financial interest in a commercial or ‘for-profit’ entity such as a pharmaceutical organisation, medical device company, or communications firm, or other financial supporter.
    • Investments held in related organisations.
    • Current or recent participation in a clinical trial sponsored by a related organisation.
    • Being a member of a speakers’ bureau.
    • Holding a patent for a product referred to in CPD activity or marketed by a commercial organisation
    • Receiving honoraria to speak on behalf of a pharmaceutical organisation or medical communications company, including talks for which the individual has been contracted but has not yet received payment for
    • Also - memberships of pressure groups, campaigning on an issue relevant to reproductive medicine, active involvement in party politics, advisory boards or similar Committees.
  2. Non-Personal Interests: A non-personal interest involves payment, which benefits or may benefit a department for which an individual or member is responsible, but which does not benefit the individual personally, examples include:
    • Fellowships: The holding of a Fellowship endowed by industry or other organisation;
    • Support by industry: Any payment, other support or sponsorship by industry which does not convey any pecuniary or material benefit to an individual personally but which does benefit their position or department.
  3. The following are excluded from declaration: In order to avoid debate about issues of trivial importance we do not include:
    • Lecture fees or commissioned single articles
    • Individual attendance of a meeting – But do include more substantial sponsorship of meetings, travel fellowships, etc.

All Committee members must complete this form. Disclosure must be made whether you do or do not have a relationship with a commercial ‘for-profit’ entity such as a pharmaceutical organisation, medical device company, communications firm, or other for-profit organisations.

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