Some Canadian universities are sacrificing academic freedom and integrity when entering into partnerships with corporations, donors and government, according to a report by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT).

Listen “I think it’s an extremely serious issue,” says James Turk, executive director of CAUT, “because a university’s credibility is dependent on having certain standards that don’t exist among any other scientific group.”

Ten deals failed

Ten out of twelve deals got a failing grade upon examination of documents obtained through Canada’s Access to Information law, Turk explained.

“We found (in) the majority of them the university gave away some of the things that fundamentally define a university where there is nothing in the agreement that recognizes the academic freedom of the researchers…There’s no prohibition of the academic staff having a financial interest in the partner. There’s no conflict of interest provisions in the agreement. The partner can restrict the right of the academics to publish work coming out of the project. Or…the university doesn’t retain control over all the academic decisions, that is, who gets hired or how the research is allocated.”

Universities can make partnerships that preserve academic freedom, says James Turk, director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. © Canadian Association of University Teachers

Underfunding prompts deal-making

Underfunding has prompted universities to accept deals that fail to protect their academic freedom, says Turk. Among the deals that trouble him is one involving a $13-million-dollar partnership between the University of Alberta in western Canada and Imperial Oil which states that the centre they created will “focus on areas of strategic interest to Imperial Oil.” It also gives a government education minister a veto over when and if research finding are made public.

Partnerships can work

“We did come across some partnerships that did it right I’m happy to say,” Turk added. “The University of Toronto entered into a partnership with one of the largest gold mining corporations in the world…where everything was done properly. The university maintains control of all the academic matters so it’s a very productive partnership without compromising the integrity of the university.”

The report recommends a set of guiding principles for collaborations that would “protect academic integrity and the public interest.” It holds universities can and should make better deals.