WINDS OF CHANGE?

Premier institutes of health have increasingly moved away from corporate funding where there is a conflict or rather an undeniable congruence between corporate interests and public interest in health. The US National Institute of Health has withdrawn from an alcohol industry-funded project, and in the UK, there is increasing criticism of public health bodies partnering alcohol and similar stigmatised corporations.

In contrast to previous decades, where scientists would secure a good future in R&D departments of large corporations, new age scientists are shaping their careers as entrepreneurs, managing their own business, as part of university incubation centres. As a result, there is increasing diversity of how corporate funding and big money interacts with research today. This diversity in corporate-research partnerships will need new tools to detect the impact of corporate funding on research and public good.

Who benefits from science and

research is a central question in our knowledge society. How benefits of these brilliant discoveries and inventions are shared with the public is a crucial social and developmental concern. These concerns have received further attention as the funding for research is increasingly shifting from governments to industry, with fears of private funding distorting scientific priorities, selective communication of scientific findings, and negatively influencing government policies on health, energy, among others. While there is undeniable empirical evidence of corporate funding shaping research, one cannot get away from the economic reality of universities and scientific endeavours.

WHO BENEFITS FROM SCIENCE AND RESEARCH IS A CENTRAL QUESTION IN OUR KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY. HOW BENEFITS OF THESE DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS ARE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC IS A CRUCIAL SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL CONCERN. THESE CONCERNS HAVE RECEIVED ATTENTION AS THE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH IS INCREASINGLY SHIFTING FROM GOVERNMENTS TO INDUSTRY, WITH FEARS OF PRIVATE FUNDING DISTORTING SCIENTIFIC PRIORITIES

In

India, this issue is emerging at a crucial social and political moment of majoritarian politics, and a general mistrust with universities and other elite institutions.

How scientific institutions and corporations handle the issue will likely help address other challenges knocking at our doorstep, including rising scientific illiteracy, movements to deny climate change, antivaccination campaigns, and the mythical search for advanced technologies in ancient India.