Changes in research guidelines topped the agenda of the millennium's last full Faculty meeting on Tuesday.

Dean for Research and Information Technology Paul C. Martin, on behalf of the Standing Committee on Research Policy presented a new version of the University's in-house publication Guidelines for Research Projects Undertaken in Cooperation with Industry for a vote.

The guidelines, which were first passed in 1983, are meant to ensure that all research conducted by members of the Harvard community adheres to certain principles. The major change Martin presented will allow for greater flexibility in undertaking research.

Most notably, the new guidelines would allow "Harvard researchers to accept confidential information from sponsors if the acceptance and use of the information will not inhibit the exchange of information on the research conducted at Harvard or limit the ability of students to publish and discuss their research." This would be subject to approval by the Dean of the Faculty or a designee.

In the past, Martin said, there has been an attempt to divorce commercialization from academia that was really not feasible. Harvard, he said, has suffered from the policy that prohibited researchers from accepting confidential information.

Research is funneled to the National Bureau of Economic Research instead of to Harvard for precisely this reason.

After one question from the floor about what would prevent people in academia from "selling their body of knowledge to the highest bidder" the motion passed with only two people opposing.

The next motion came from Professor of Government Jeffry Freiden who proposed to increase the limit on the duration of post-doctoral appointments.