8.3.4 - Political influences on scientific research

Context

Corporations and market communities

University research project budgets

Government budgets and limited time priorities

Benefit-sharing in research using Indigenous intellectual and cultural property

15th-19th centuries, science research = self funded

Darwin, Dalton, Lavoisier

OR patronage funded

Galileo and the Medici family

research expanded late 10th - early 20th century

increase funding from industry, philanthropy, universities

post WW2, Govs funded research

PRESENT AUSTRALIA

Federal gov funds research > business industries, universities, higher organisations, gov research organisations (CSIRO), non-gov industries

Industry-sponsored research

essential in international funding

mainly focused developing SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS and INNOVATION

big driver = PROFITABILITY > outcomes of sponsored research add to revenue of corporations

e.g. SUGAR-INDUSTRY SPONSORED STUDIES

2016 = article JAMA Internal Medicine

50 years research > nutrition and heart disease SHAPED BY SUGAR INDUSTRY

Sugar Research Foundation > paid 3 Harvard scientists $50,000 to publish 1967 article on sugar, fat and heart disease

studies used chosen by sugar group

bias

article minimised link btwn sugar and heart health > suggest fat could be more to blame

FOOD INDUSTRY

influence nutrition research

2015 > Coca Cola = millions $ funding to researchers who downplayed link btwn SUGARY DRINKS AND OBESITY

Funding can come from

Research grants

universities

contracted research from a uni or other body

university staff consulting a third party

GOV funding at unis occurs on two levels

Competitive research grants

Research block grants

non-competitive funds given to research universities to support research programs

research proposals are assessed and funded based on their merit

e.g. AUSTRALIAN COMPETITIVE GRANT REGISTER

provides funding to projects that align w/ schemes funded by AUS gov

areas allocated depending of national priorities and social issues at time

e.g. particular diseases -Alzheimers- costing gov money, invest more into studies related

informed by population data produced from the Census

AUS Gov redefined 2018-2023 priority areas > decarbonizing energy system, Robotics, Artificial Intellignece, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality