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Ethics and the funding of research and development at universities

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Abstract

As a result of a gradual shifting of the resourcing of universities from the public to the private sector, the academic institution has been required to acquire some of its additional funding from industry via partnerships based on research and development. This paper examines this new condition and asks whether the different mission statements or modi operandi of the university vis à vis industry throws up additional ethical issues. While there are conditions where the interactions between industry and the university may be seen to be between partners with some degree of equivalence, many such interactions, lacking this balance, are in danger of generating more concerns. It should also not be forgotten that independent publicly funded research establishments may also play an important role in the production of the innovation and development needed to maintain the strength of an industrial economy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, GU2 5XH, Guildford, Surrey, UK

    Raymond E. Spier (Professor of Science and Engineering Ethics)

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  1. Raymond E. Spier
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Ray Spier is Professor of Science and Engineering Ethics and co-editor of the journal Science and Engineering Ethics.

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Spier, R.E. Ethics and the funding of research and development at universities. SCI ENG ETHICS 4, 375–384 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-998-0030-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-998-0030-1

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