Take back power from business, university body demands

Universities need to update guidelines on industry collaboration to reinstate academic rights that have been “seriously eroded” over the past generation, a report by the American Association of University Professors has said, writes Elizabeth Gibney for Times Higher Education.

Recommended Principles and Practices to Guide Academy-Industry Relationships, a draft report released on 13 June, laments the corporate control of academia that can stem from collaborations, such as which faculty members can participate in a project or whether and when papers are published. It also stresses academics' responsibility to behave in an "ethical and professional manner" and criticises the "ghostwriting" of industry- led publications and undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Full report on the Times Higher Education site