Good Afternoon,
At Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, we are in the very
early stages of investigating the appropriateness of developing a policy
which would prohibit investigators from obtaining support from tobacco
companies or tobacco-related organizations. I'm interested in hearing what
other institutions have done or are contemplating. Until recently, none of
our investigators have ever expressed an interest in tobacco funding. Now
we've become aware that some funding agencies (non-tobacco sponsors) are
beginning to restrict applicant eligibility to those institutions that HAVE
NOT accepted funding from the tobacco industry. Please note, BGSU does not
include a medical school, but we have a number of life science/social
behavioral units that conduct research in biomedical areas.
I'd be interested in knowing:
1. Does your institution have a policy prohibiting the acceptance of
tobacco industry funding? If so, can you direct me to a copy? Is there a
formal review process/review board?
2. If you are a state institution, was the implementation or decision to
draft such a policy driven by state initiatives and/or tobacco settlement
funds allocated for research (or other funds to higher education)?
3. Do such policies fall under your compliance office, office of
development, sponsored research office, or elsewhere?
4. Companies such as Philip Morris are huge multi-national entities. Does
an institutional policy prohibit funding from ALL subsidiaries and brands
of such a company--Kraft, Maxwell House, Post, etc.--or just the Philip
Morris External Research Program, for example?
5. Research in one area can often lead to scientific breakthroughs in
others. Was there any discussion about how such a policy might adversely
impact academic freedom? If so, how was this issue addressed?
6. The tobacco industry would appear to present a fairly clear and direct
scenario wherein in the continued use of the product can result in ill
health or even death; and there seems to be a perception that research
support from such an industry would only support that industry's best
interests. From the perspective of your own institutions, do such policies
lead elsewhere? For example, while alcohol abuse is not the inevitable
result of moderate drinking, binge drinking is a concern across many
campuses; yet academic researchers receive funding from sources such as the
Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation, established by the malt
beverage industries of the US and Canada. Do any of your institutions have
policies governing funding from other industry sectors which could involve
thorny moral issues?
...any other insights would be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Tom
Tom Kornacki
Associate Director
Office of Sponsored Programs and Research
Bowling Green State University
106 University Hall
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403
419-372-2481; 419-372-0304 (fax)
xxxxxx@bgnet.bgsu.edu
http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/spar
======================================================================
Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
======================================================================
