Research is performed in industry in order to continue to provide products and services. It is important to note that research is often considered a product or service. The government may find it useful to sponsor research in industry in order to fulfill its mission of providing for the welfare of its citizens and constituents. We will adopt the view that some government-sponsored research in industry is necessary for one or more of the above missions. Once adopted, the details of the mission do not dominate the issues raised by the interrelationships between government and industry.
Conflicts of interests are inherent in government-sponsored research.
This may be considered an extension of industry's traditional role in selling products and services. In this relationship however, it has a far deeper impact. The first two resulted from the lobbying efforts of scientists themselves. In this regard, groups of scientists first agreed as to the resources most important to their field of research and with varying success, lobbied and convinced the government to sponsor their research. The third project, the space station, however, differs from the first two in many respects.