June 10, 2008

Smoking and education a strange mix

When colleges and universities accept money from tobacco companies they are thought of as signing a deal with the devil, but when this money is given as a research grant or to pay for some research to be done, then it all takes a different stance.

Like Virginia Commonwealth University they had signed an arrangement with Phillip Morris, this was for research but the contract forbids the professors from publishing their results in any form or even talking about them.

But universities need money and research grants are one way of getting in, but the restrictions that some companies add to their contract can sometimes be detrimental to the university and the staff who would be working on the research.

Like with everything, signing a contract is not a matter to be taken lightly.

Source [NY Times]