Wright State beefs up compliance efforts

Wright State University is increasing staff in an effort to stay in line with federal law in its research activities as it looks to increase government contracts already worth tens of millions of dollars.

That change includes hiring more compliance officers, creating a new compliance office and consolidating leadership.

University officials say the hires come as it tries to keep up with its fast-growing research activity.

One of the new compliance officers will specialize in financial conflicts of interest. That officer will deal with federal agency funding that requires annual disclosure of faculty conflicts of interest, with regards to research projects. The school will also hire officers who are experts with HIPAA and control of defense-related materials.

Robert Fyffe, vice president for research development at WSU, said the hires are not a result of compliance failures.

“We always get very close to the highest possible ratings,” he said.

In addition, the university will consolidate research under Fyffe. He will report directly to the provost and president.

Fyffe previously oversaw WSU’s research operations, aside from Wright State Research Institute. Provost Sundaram Narayanan had been supervising the research institute, however, he currently is on paid leave while under investigation.

WSRI is the applied-research arm of university, employing dozens of researchers in mostly defense- or health care-related research. In March, for instance, it was granted a $14 million Air Force contract to develop sensor technologies.

The university says the change is not related to the provost’s suspension.

“In no way related at all,” Fyffe said. “These (changes) have been under development for a long time. These are not things you can conjure last minute.”

The university also has shuffled some of its research leadership. Jason Parker, the director of WSRI, will head up research development for all of WSU. Meanwhile, Dennis Andersh, CEO of Wright State Applied Research Corp., has been named executive director of WSRI.

Staff writer Josh Sweigart contributed to this report.

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