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Harvard Reviews Conflict-of-Interest Policies

Researchers Defend Merits of Outside Grants

By Sasha A. Haines-stiles, Crimson Staff Writer

In the Classroom

In fact, the wealth of sponsorship of research at Harvard may even help professors in their teaching, rather than causing a conflict-of-interest in the classroom.

"The research being done by the Faculty is part of their obligation to Harvard as Faculty members, it is in no sense 'outside research,'" Gold says.

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According to Long, outside-funded research is rarely discussed in undergraduate classrooms, where most of the topics are well established and can be found in any textbook.

Still, he says, professors' lab experiences are cutting edge and indirectly contribute to their effectiveness as educators. "Research feeds teaching and teaching feeds research."

The FAS policy recognizes that outside research often enriches the quality of the learning instructors bring to their students and the Harvard community.

According to "Principles and Policies That Govern Your Research and Other Professional Activities," a document distributed to Faculty members, "the involvement of faculty members in outside professional activities, both public and private, often serves not only the participants but the University as a whole."

Even at HMS, Howley says, as long as professors are open with the students they teach about their outside financial interests, it is unlikely that a conflict-of-interest would arise in the classroom.

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