RESEARCH IN UNIVERSITIES & INDUSTRY SUPPORT :SYMBIOSIS OR CONFLICT OF INTEREST?

RESEARCH IN UNIVERSITIES & INDUSTRY SUPPORT :SYMBIOSIS OR CONFLICT OF INTEREST?
by -Dr. Rajan R Patil


Higher education comes at cost. Especially the quality higher education. If we don’t give it, then our own ministers complain that our students are brilliant but our faculty are not world class. Conveniently forgetting they have failed to give us the world class infrastructure to give the world class research out put. Lets say, If I were to investigate mysterious viral disease outbreak, I need to be supported by state of the art world virology laboratory back up. Govt simply doesn’t have the money (or the will) to support for this kind of infrastructure for the universities in our country. Then what do we do? Alternatively, either raise the education fees, start charging nauseatingly high capitation fees is one option – but we can not do it, because self appointed civil society will criticize that we are making higher education unaffordable and preach us on virtues of rights of education of every child and equity issues in society. Without good infrastructure back up, there is no motivation for quality faculty to stay back in India, they will migrate to foreign universities, then the same civil society will hit back on us for being we are lured by glitter of “foreign” and brain drain. They misunderstand it to be monetary reasons when it is not. Remember, in higher education salary is never the highest incentive- but it is Research, which is the ultimate product of scholarly activity. Within the universities, a faculty member’s published record is used to guide a most of evaluation-based decisions in science.


In the light of above, how does one expect Academia to not to engage Industry. We can not wait until our Marxist friends bring in total revolution and total overhauling of economic order. At least if they had demonstrated that it was practical and possible in their countries and statess which they ruled for decades , we would still have waited in hope. But it never happened that way in earstwhile soviet union, China, Cubans, Westbengal, Kerala. The universities functioning in leftist and socialist mileu are no better than others in non-leftist system. In fact all we get from China model is how to fake the technology not the innovative research.


what do we do under the given circumstance, hence we go ahead and engage industry in symbiotic relationship. And do take utmost care that the conflict of Interest does not come in play. By and large Teachers do have higher moral and ethical standards in society, so let us have faith in them. Yes there are few exception, like the infamous professor and his stem cell research. But then there are rotten apples in every strata of society.



Morale of the story:


1. Conflict of interest stems from selfish motive/ intent that is converted into action for personal gain and not by simple assoication. As long as one is being fair and upright in his or her coduct-, conflict of interest does not come into play- in spite of potentially having conflict of interest a-priori.


2. Academicians do have ability to handle conflict of Interest. Lets start trusting them. They do know where to draw line, where and when to keep their academic freedom intact. IITs are fine example of exercise of this discretion by researchers while very well engaging industry.



regards,

rajan


==
Dr. Rajan R Patil
Asst Professor.
PhD scholar in Respiratory Health.

Division of Epidemiology
School of Public Health
SRM University
Potheri, Kattankulathur - 603203
Greater Chennai,
INDIA.

Cell: 9445811610
Email : rajanpatil@yahoo.com