” All universities should have an institutional ethics and accountability panel or committee.
” Staff, students and the local community should have representation on the committee.
” The committee should take advice from those with professional expertise in ethics.
” The committee should vet all substantial donations, sponsorship and funding that the university applies for, or is offered.
” The committee should inter alia ensure that all sources of funding for any research carried out in the university’s name is acknowledged in all publications.
” Where the committee accepts a case for limitation on the freedom to publish it should attach a “health warning” to this effect.
” The brief of the person within the university with responsibility for attracting external “third mission” funding should have a strong ethical element.
” The university’s policy on intellectual property rights should be disseminated as widely as possible by case studies and be made an integral part of job induction and training programmes.
” Sponsored research should bear a full share of the institution’s infrastructure costs.
” The university should retain the rights of staff to publish without hindrance except where a specific written provision has been made with the agreement of all parties — to include all research students, research assistants and assistant staff involved. This should be explicitly mentioned in all staff contracts.
” The right of academic staff to publish research findings should be the primary consideration of any contract between industry and academia. Commercial considerations should never be allowed to prevent the publication of findings that are in the public interest or which add significantly to the body of knowledge in a field.
” Those obtaining sponsorship for research should not be given undue favour in promotion decisions.
” Universities should declare details of all investments.