Academic Freedom Abandoned By University for Corporate Dollars
Just how far will a university debase itself for money? Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond abandoned its own rules regarding industry sponsored research, its academic freedom, and transparency to tobacco giant Phillip Morris headquartered in that city.
According to a NYTimes report: "On campuses nationwide, professors and administrators have passionately debated whether their universities should accept money for research from tobacco companies. But not at Virginia Commonwealth University, a public institution in Richmond, Va.
"That is largely because hardly any faculty members or students there know that there is something to debate — a contract with extremely restrictive terms that the university signed in 2006 to do research for Philip Morris USA, the nation’s largest tobacco company and a unit of Altria Group.
"The contract bars professors from publishing the results of their studies, or even talking about them, without Philip Morris’s permission. If “a third party,” including news organizations, asks about the agreement, university officials have to decline to comment and tell the company. Nearly all patent and other intellectual property rights go to the company, not the university or its professors.
“ 'There is restrictive language in here,' said Francis L. Macrina, Virginia Commonwealth’s vice president for research, who acknowledged that many of the provisions violated the university’s guidelines for industry-sponsored research. 'In the end, it was language we thought we could agree to. It’s a balancing act.'
"But the contract, a copy of which The New York Times obtained under the Virginia Freedom of Information law, is highly unusual and raises questions about how far universities will go in search of scarce research dollars to enhance their standing. It also brings a new dimension to the already divisive debate on many campuses over whether it is appropriate for universities to accept tobacco money for research.
“ 'When universities sign contracts with these covenants, they are basically giving up their ethos, compromising their values as a university,”'said Sheldon Krimsky, a professor at Tufts University who is an expert on corporate influence on medical research. 'There should be no debate about having a sponsor with control over the publishing of results.'
"Stanton A. Glantz, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine who has lobbied for banning tobacco money on campuses, said, 'University administrators who are desperate for money will basically do anything they have to for money.'
"About 15 public health and medical schools no longer accept donations from the tobacco industry, and many major research universities continue to do so only if guaranteed independence to carry out the research and publish the results.
"The business school at the University of Texas at Austin decided in December to stop accepting tobacco money. The University of California system tightened its oversight of tobacco-financed research last fall, after rejecting a proposal for a ban.
"Virginia Commonwealth’s president, Eugene P. Trani, declined to be interviewed. But Dr. Macrina defended the contract, saying it struck a reasonable balance between the university’s need for openness and Philip Morris’s need for confidentiality, even though it violated Virginia Commonwealth’s own rules.
"Virginia Commonwealth’s guidelines for industry-sponsored research state, 'University faculty and students must be free to publish their results.' The guidelines also say the university must retain all patent and other intellectual property rights from sponsored research. (Underline added.)
"Under the agreement, though, Philip Morris alone decides whether the researchers can publish because the contract defines 'without limitation all work product or other material created by V.C.U.' as proprietary information belonging to the company.
"At Virginia Commonwealth, few professors appeared to know about the contract; when told about it, a number of them said they were concerned about its secretiveness.
“ 'It’s a controversial area, and I personally prefer transparency,' said Richard P. Wenzel, chairman of the department of internal medicine at the university’s medical school, who had not heard of the contract before a reporter’s call.
"Dan Ream, the president of the Faculty Senate, said he, too, knew nothing about the contract.
“ 'It hasn’t come up as an issue of debate in the Faculty Senate at all,' said Mr. Ream, who works in the university’s library. 'I’m highly committed to open access to information. That’s one of the tenets of librarianship.'
"A tenured scientist at Virginia Commonwealth, who would not be interviewed for attribution because he said he feared retribution against his junior colleagues, called the contract’s restrictions, especially the limitations on publication, 'completely unacceptable in the research world.'
“ 'It’s counter to the entire purpose and rationale of a university,' said David Rosner, a professor of public health and history at Columbia University. 'It’s not a consulting company; it’s not just another commercial firm.' "
As a NYTimes editorial sums it up: "While most universities are struggling to ensure that any research supported by industry remains free of corporate control, it is shocking to find Virginia Commonwealth University going in the opposite direction. It has signed a contract to do research for Philip Morris that gives the company the final say over what results, if any, can be published.
"University officials say the restrictions on publishing research are designed to protect the company’s proprietary information. However, the contract defines all material created by the university as the company’s proprietary information — so Philip Morris will always have the final say. The first two research tasks, according to the company, involve identifying early warning signs of pulmonary disease and reducing nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from tobacco processing plants.
"Virginia Commonwealth is getting only $286,000 from Philip Morris this year, roughly a tenth of a percent of its total research grants. There is speculation that the university — a public institution based in Philip Morris’s hometown of Richmond — is hoping to entice the company to support other university functions. Nothing justifies this abandonment of academic freedom.
"Schools that accept tobacco money need to be sure that their scientists have the final say in designing studies, interpreting the results and publishing the findings. Anything less undermines the credibility of their scientists’ research — and the integrity of their universities."
According to a NYTimes report: "On campuses nationwide, professors and administrators have passionately debated whether their universities should accept money for research from tobacco companies. But not at Virginia Commonwealth University, a public institution in Richmond, Va.
"That is largely because hardly any faculty members or students there know that there is something to debate — a contract with extremely restrictive terms that the university signed in 2006 to do research for Philip Morris USA, the nation’s largest tobacco company and a unit of Altria Group.
"The contract bars professors from publishing the results of their studies, or even talking about them, without Philip Morris’s permission. If “a third party,” including news organizations, asks about the agreement, university officials have to decline to comment and tell the company. Nearly all patent and other intellectual property rights go to the company, not the university or its professors.
“ 'There is restrictive language in here,' said Francis L. Macrina, Virginia Commonwealth’s vice president for research, who acknowledged that many of the provisions violated the university’s guidelines for industry-sponsored research. 'In the end, it was language we thought we could agree to. It’s a balancing act.'
"But the contract, a copy of which The New York Times obtained under the Virginia Freedom of Information law, is highly unusual and raises questions about how far universities will go in search of scarce research dollars to enhance their standing. It also brings a new dimension to the already divisive debate on many campuses over whether it is appropriate for universities to accept tobacco money for research.
“ 'When universities sign contracts with these covenants, they are basically giving up their ethos, compromising their values as a university,”'said Sheldon Krimsky, a professor at Tufts University who is an expert on corporate influence on medical research. 'There should be no debate about having a sponsor with control over the publishing of results.'
"Stanton A. Glantz, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine who has lobbied for banning tobacco money on campuses, said, 'University administrators who are desperate for money will basically do anything they have to for money.'
"About 15 public health and medical schools no longer accept donations from the tobacco industry, and many major research universities continue to do so only if guaranteed independence to carry out the research and publish the results.
"The business school at the University of Texas at Austin decided in December to stop accepting tobacco money. The University of California system tightened its oversight of tobacco-financed research last fall, after rejecting a proposal for a ban.
"Virginia Commonwealth’s president, Eugene P. Trani, declined to be interviewed. But Dr. Macrina defended the contract, saying it struck a reasonable balance between the university’s need for openness and Philip Morris’s need for confidentiality, even though it violated Virginia Commonwealth’s own rules.
"Virginia Commonwealth’s guidelines for industry-sponsored research state, 'University faculty and students must be free to publish their results.' The guidelines also say the university must retain all patent and other intellectual property rights from sponsored research. (Underline added.)
"Under the agreement, though, Philip Morris alone decides whether the researchers can publish because the contract defines 'without limitation all work product or other material created by V.C.U.' as proprietary information belonging to the company.
"At Virginia Commonwealth, few professors appeared to know about the contract; when told about it, a number of them said they were concerned about its secretiveness.
“ 'It’s a controversial area, and I personally prefer transparency,' said Richard P. Wenzel, chairman of the department of internal medicine at the university’s medical school, who had not heard of the contract before a reporter’s call.
"Dan Ream, the president of the Faculty Senate, said he, too, knew nothing about the contract.
“ 'It hasn’t come up as an issue of debate in the Faculty Senate at all,' said Mr. Ream, who works in the university’s library. 'I’m highly committed to open access to information. That’s one of the tenets of librarianship.'
"A tenured scientist at Virginia Commonwealth, who would not be interviewed for attribution because he said he feared retribution against his junior colleagues, called the contract’s restrictions, especially the limitations on publication, 'completely unacceptable in the research world.'
“ 'It’s counter to the entire purpose and rationale of a university,' said David Rosner, a professor of public health and history at Columbia University. 'It’s not a consulting company; it’s not just another commercial firm.' "
As a NYTimes editorial sums it up: "While most universities are struggling to ensure that any research supported by industry remains free of corporate control, it is shocking to find Virginia Commonwealth University going in the opposite direction. It has signed a contract to do research for Philip Morris that gives the company the final say over what results, if any, can be published.
"University officials say the restrictions on publishing research are designed to protect the company’s proprietary information. However, the contract defines all material created by the university as the company’s proprietary information — so Philip Morris will always have the final say. The first two research tasks, according to the company, involve identifying early warning signs of pulmonary disease and reducing nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from tobacco processing plants.
"Virginia Commonwealth is getting only $286,000 from Philip Morris this year, roughly a tenth of a percent of its total research grants. There is speculation that the university — a public institution based in Philip Morris’s hometown of Richmond — is hoping to entice the company to support other university functions. Nothing justifies this abandonment of academic freedom.
"Schools that accept tobacco money need to be sure that their scientists have the final say in designing studies, interpreting the results and publishing the findings. Anything less undermines the credibility of their scientists’ research — and the integrity of their universities."
Comments