state universities can be the economic be grateful. Without the commitment of private entrepreneurs, the Hochschule Rhein-Main, had not your lecture hall “Aldi Süd”, your students would probably suffer from lack of space. And Lidl-founder Dietmar Schwarz, TU Munich, would not have donated 20 Economics professors, the Department today is one third smaller than he is. And finally: Would Facebook the TU Munich give € 6.5 million, you could build a hardly a Institute for the study of ethical problems in Artificial intelligence. Around two billion euros a year from companies and foundations to German universities.
Thank you, Aldi, Lidl, Facebook? So pleased, certain professors and rectors did take the welfare in the face of scarce budgets, the cash flows also give rise to discomfort. To be state institutions of higher education for the advertising space (Aldi)? Should help you a massive criticism of the company, the deterioration of the Image erect (Facebook)? And isn’t fixed already, what the owner of Lidl-chair will not conduct research to stores namely working conditions in the disco or on the relationship between pricing and mass animal husbandry?
companies are pursuing in research is also a lobbyist of interests
“The research remains, of course, completely free,” say Uni-lines, project Manager and founder. But even then, if companies make the Unis are no specific requirements, you can strengthen your money to certain research directions in their lobbying purposes – other expense. So pharmaceutical companies show little interest for the prophylaxis of diseases or to the consequences of over dikament control research, has established the Aalen Professor Christian Kreiß, observed the Connections between universities and companies for years. From the energy Institute at the University of Cologne, Finance, large corporations, sounds it is often of the most nuclear-friendly. From the employer-financed Institute at the University of Munich, particularly employer-friendly. Also cases are documented in which research was stopped as soon as the results were in line with the interests of the sponsor.
The Agenda-Setting, organizations need to have not expensive: Often the founders professorships at push for five years. In return, they demand from the state that he financed the Called – and thus the desired direction – then even more.
companies Unis promotions like cuckoo eggs in a Nest
As it is with the cooperation between companies and universities also show the widely used so-called cuckoo’s egg promotions: company is a research topic, think of your employees as you would have the right to confer doctorates and not the Uni. The professors are allowed to rubber-stamp the work. Contrary to the rules, the results are not published in the corporate interest, often.
Secret the contracts for large cooperations are most of the time. Finally, the company has to protect its ideas before the competition, explain the founders as professors. A bad Argument, is stated in the treaties, but merely Organizational. So question remain worthy of, or even illegal arrangements, as in the case of the University of Mainz, and the Foundation Boehringer Ingelheim – mostly in the dark. The Foundation had secured the rights for new teachers to have a voice. And you would have been able to set the branches of Research, if you would not have fit the direction.
stop The Secrecy. Contracts for all to see on the Internet. State universities are not companies, has established the Bonn law Professor Klaus F. Gärditz to just. Therefore, your cooperation contracts were also trade secrets, “but the Act of public violence, and to justify to the public”.
The parliaments should make concrete rules
The should note Uni-rectors, the to fend off Demands from the outside as an annoying interference, well. Sponsors to shoot money. But it is the society that has created the universities and they are financed predominantly. As the company introduces their Unis, is written in the basic law: science, research, and teaching shall be free. This set scientists to keep on the occasion of 70 years of the basic law have been particularly high, and think first of all, in authoritarian countries, such as Hungary. Who sold the freedom of Science against money, you but also with feet.
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Paid to science, such As universities, from companies to the cleaners
Anja Kühne
what’s next? With recommendations for the design of the contracts it is not done. The parliaments should make the universities specific requirements. Whether you will do it? Also, the country’s politicians to kneel before the millions of the companies. So, the universities themselves do not have to make sure that you make yourself, in spite of their scarce basic resources – to the servants of the company. The freedom of Science, finally, is more valuable than money.
