Scientists Warned of Strings on Gifts

Corporate gifts to academic scientists often come with ethically troubling strings attached, according to a new study.

In some cases, scientists who receive such gifts are expected to use them to test company products, for example, or to give the company the right to any patentable results produced by the research. Companies often ask to review research findings before they are published.

The study, based on a survey of more than 2,100 faculty members, appears in the March 31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

More than 43 per cent of the scientists reported having received such gifts in the past three years. They include gifts of biomaterials, like cells or tissues, as well as instruments and equipment, travel expenses, and support for students.

“The informal nature of these relationships can put researchers in a murky ethical position,” says Eric G. Campbell, research associate at Massachusetts General Hospital and the lead author of the study. “Our findings indicate that it may be wise for them to look a gift horse in the mouth.”