Scientific Funding, Ethical Issues in

The funding of science raises various ethical issues, some of which have long existed and others have resulted from recent macrolevel social and [Page 3007]economic transformations. Over the past several decades, these changes have profoundly affected science and the way in which it is currently practiced. They include enhanced global protections of intellectual property rights, differences in the kinds of scientific questions now being investigated, increased use of computer technology, the outsourcing of corporate research and development (R&D), and funding decreases from the state, particularly in the United States. This entry surveys several of the most important kinds of ethical issues that arise from how scientific research is currently funded, focusing on the role played by corporations.