Students and faculty ought to be able to interact and go about the process of education without even the potential of interference from outside sources. We might not have the staff or budget to do the research otherwis e, and we can do it externally cheaper at universities. The corporations must give the UI enough money for the research as well as a cost for upkeep of facilities, Skorton said. The Bayh-Dole Act is not the only reason for the drastic increase in corporate grants. According to a study of 2,167 university scientists published in 1997 in the Journal of the American Medical Association , nearly 20 percent admitted to delaying publication of their findings for more than six months.
Corporations often have terms in their first negotiations that restrict the publishing of findings.
Skorton acknowledges the fear that corporate money is influencing the way the UI is run. He noted that the UI has policies to ensure that it doesn't. Then we renegotiate them, and if they don't take them off, the deal's off. The restriction of publication of research findings is in direct contradiction with the UI's mission as a public institution, Harvey said. That's not academic freedom.