I think your investigation should consider the wisdom of a policy in reaction to the capriciousness of certain funders.  You mention the issue of tobacco subsidiaries and how similar arguments could be used to prevent eligibility to alcohol industry funds.  If we broaden the scope of the hysteria, the list is certainly longer.  Why not include the entire pharmaceutical industry?  Are they looking for truly revolutionary new types of agents to cure disease or just more data to support marketing claims?

These may seem like tricky ethical questions.  But I would like to think that our main concern should be with promoting and enforcing objectivity in the design, conduct, and reporting of research regardless of the source of funding.

Charlie Hathaway

At 12:26 PM 10/8/02 -0400, you wrote:
>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
>
>
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