Section 53-7B-8 - Conflicts of interest.
53-7B-8. Conflicts of interest.
A. If any director, officer or employee of the research applications center is interested directly or indirectly or is an officer or employee of or has any ownership interest in a legal entity interested directly or indirectly in a contract or potential contract with the research applications center, except for any agency, instrumentality, institution or political subdivision of the state, the interest shall be disclosed to the board and shall be set forth in the minutes of the board. The director, officer or employee having the interest shall not participate on behalf of the research applications center in the authorization of the contract.
B. Any director, officer or employee of the research applications center shall enter into a nondisclosure agreement that at a minimum provides:
(1) a clear description of confidential information that the research applications center may disclose to the director, officer or employee;
(2) a clear description of the limitations on the use of confidential information by the director, officer or employee;
(3) a confidentiality period that requires the director, officer or employee to hold confidential information in confidence until that information becomes generally publicly known;
(4) that the director, officer or employee shall be prohibited from acquiring an intellectual property right;
(5) for the return of all confidential information to the research applications center upon request;
(6) remedies for unauthorized disclosure of confidential information under the nondisclosure agreement, which may provide for liquidated damages, specific performance or injunction against further disclosure or breach, in addition to all other remedies available at law or equity to the research applications center for unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by the director, officer or employee; and
(7) for the award of reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred by the research applications center in seeking enforcement of the nondisclosure agreement.
C. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an officer, director or employee of a financial institution from participating as a member of the board in setting general policies of the research applications center, nor shall any provision of this section be construed as prohibiting a financial institution of New Mexico from making loans guaranteed pursuant to the provisions of the New Mexico Research Applications Act because an officer, director or employee of the financial institution serves as a member of the board.