Dr Cami Ryan, Social Sciences Lead, Monsanto Canada

The public-private relationship in research: conflict or opportunity?

By Dr Cami Ryan

Academic research is an honourable career endeavor. There is nothing more gratifying than feeling like you are directing your work for the greater public good. During my tenure as a public sector researcher, I got to work with the best-of-the-best; people from public research institutes and universities all over the world. I regularly interacted with farmers, with grower organizations, as well as consumers and other stakeholders representing local, national and international NGOs and governments.

And, yes, I connected with individuals from the private sector. But it seems that these public-private partnerships are under attack even though they are governed by high scientific and ethical standards.

My research, for the most part, involved the examination of how networks of scientists are structured, how they perform, and what — in this wonderful world of public sector research — qualifies as innovative performance and valuable outcomes for society. I also dipped my research toe into the sea of literature and research into public-private partnerships. Much of my work between 2001 and 2014 was funded through Genome Canada (specifically through Genome Canada's GE3LS program).

So, what does a public-private partnership, under the auspices of Genome Canada, look like? Genome Canada is a not-for-profit organization that funds and supports genomics and genomics-based applied research and technologies in Canada. It is an agency with the goal to "catalyze the creation of economic and social benefits for Canada". And, yes, this means ensuring that the public sector connects and/or partners with appropriate stakeholders, including the private sector.

In the context of agricultural research, the relationship between the public sector and the private sector is an important one. If you want to ensure that high-quality and relevant agricultural research is conducted in our academic institutions, research objectives need to be linked to market and societal needs. You won't see any universities doing back-door deals to sell seeds. And I certainly don't want my tax dollars going towards those kinds of activities in post-secondary institutions.

Federal funding agencies have a vested interest in ensuring that the best research is conducted so that we can all benefit. They want the private sector to be part of the research and development process. What this means for society is that the research is being used to address real-world problems and has impact for people more broadly. We call that innovation.

Partnership structures vary, depending upon research context and which organizations are involved. The Genome Canada funding model, in particular, requires that a portion of the requested funding for eligible costs for any given project be obtained through co-funding from other sources. Genome Canada will not release funds to a project until there is a firm commitment for co-funding for eligible costs of the project.

Sources include (but are not limited to): companies, industry consortia, trust funds, foundations, charities, government agencies/departments. Funds from the private sector to universities often come in the form of ‘unrestricted grants' wherein funds are freely given with no strings attached.

And there's no subterfuge here. The identity of partnering organizations, funding sources and the affiliated collaborative arrangements are all public knowledge.

But what about ethics?

All Genome Canada-funded projects need to have appropriate ethics approval. Universities are bound by tri-council agreements and cannot allow any research to carry on that does not have formal approval. And this kind of ethics approval does not happen overnight. It is controlled by the universities involved in the research. The real challenge here is that not all institutions are built the same; they have different processes and guidelines around ethics. So, sometimes it takes a long time for these multi-actor projects to move forward, no matter who is involved. It is important to reiterate that Genome Canada funding will not flow until the collective ethics approval is in place.

Projects are also monitored closely both scientifically (in terms of meeting milestones) and financially (to ensure that funds are being spent on eligible costs). Continued monitoring includes ongoing assessments that the project is being carried out to the highest ethical standards. Responsibility and leadership of Genome Canada funded projects always fall under the intellectual direction of a publicly-funded, faculty person. That leader ensures that:

• Funded projects, and affiliated researchers, share what they learn with a broader audience;

• Data and resources are shared with the wider scientific community as soon as possible; and,

• Results are published. Free online access to these publications is considered paramount.

Research that is relevant and applicable

Along with farmers, grower groups and other stakeholders, funding agencies and universities can play important roles in facilitating the collaborative development and transfer of knowledge for the public good. To be competitive as a country and to continue to provide for people here in Canada and around the world, cultivating and maintaining relationships across the entire agricultural value chain is the right thing to do.

During my entire tenure as a public sector researcher, I was never once "sanctioned" by private sector partners (or other stakeholders) in any way. No one tried to delay, postpone, or otherwise influence the publication of study results. Genome Canada would not support this kind of censorship. It would no way serve the public good.

In a time of declining investment in public sector education and research, if we want good quality and relevant research to reach the end-user (farmers and society more broadly) we need to have the right experts involved that are backed with sufficient funding dollars. Independent academic experts need resources to be able to lead and carry out high quality scientific research.

And they also need to be supported (in different ways) by organizations that are in a position to ensure that research and technological outcomes reach the people and societies that can benefit most from them.

Dr Cami Ryan is the Social Sciences Lead with Regulatory Policy and Scientific Affairs for Monsanto Canada. She has worked in agriculture for over 20 years. Ryan maintains a blog on society, science, technology and agriculture at www.doccamiryan.wordpress.com.