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