Academic freedom and academic-industry relationships in biotechnology.
Commercial academic-industry relationships (AIRs) are widespread in biotechnology and have resulted in a wide array of restrictions on academic research. Objections to such restrictions have centered on the charge that they violate academic freedom. I argue that these objections are almost invariably unsuccessful. On a consequentialist understanding of the value of academic freedom, they rely on unfounded empirical claims about the overall effects that AIRs have on academic research. And on a rights-based understanding of the value of academic freedom, they rely on excessively lavish assumptions about the kinds of activities that academic freedom protects.
Streiffer
Robert
R
University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
D022126:Access to Information; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D002961:Civil Rights; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000191:economics; D016265:Conflict of Interest / Q000191:economics; D003253:Consultants; D032982:Contracts / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D030881:Disclosure; D028663:Ethical Theory; D005178:Faculty; D005610:Freedom; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D010330:Patents as Topic / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011643:Publishing; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000941:ethics; D014495:Universities / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence