Dr. L.S. Rothenberg, with the UCLA Department of Medicine's Division of Medical Genetics, says he and a colleague conducted a study of 1,105 university authors from Massachusetts institutions, whose 789 articles, published in 1992, appeared in 14 scientific and medical journals. These interests included being the inventor of a patented discovery, being a member of a sponsor's scientific advisory board, a corporate officer or having an equity interest in a company which might benefit from work being done by the research team. But real dangers exist, dangers that need to be addressed through clear policy. A job that falls squarely on the shoulders of universities, not industry, says Campbell. The key, he says, is mutually beneficial partnerships that are science driven.
Science driven means the purpose of the study is to find out the truth.
The increased productivity of the researchers surveyed could also indicate that industry just chooses top researchers.