Making Knowledge a Commodity: Increased Corporate Influence on Universities

In the last few years, private sector involvement in scientific research at many American universities has both increased and taken new forms. Although some of these patterns have existed previously in regard to applied research and technological development, their utilization in scientific fields-which have previously operated under different mores and expections-lead, in the author's opinion, to troublesome social inplications. Criticisms of these new interactions are presented and explored in a three-fold typology: the distortion of scientific research agendas to fit corporate interests; the exacerbation of unequal access to university intellectual resources by different social sectors; and the reduction in the availability of university faculty to serve in a critical capacity for society. These new trends have primarily developed in the field of biotechnology, and thus much of the article refers to activities in this field. Some particular reference is made to relevant events at the author's home institution.