This is one of the longest reports the AAUP has ever produced. It deals with issues that make the news weekly and that critically impact higher education in the United States and across the world. The days when industry-funded research was concentrated in a limited number of universities have passed. Every type and size of institution now faces both the opportunities and the responsibilities associated with businesses-sponsored research relationships.
The report opens with a summary of recommendations for principles that colleges and universities should adopt, as appropriate, in their governing and advisory documents and in their contracts with outside funders. The main body of the report follows, beginning with an overview of the history and current state of engagement between industry and the academy. The balance of the report details each of fifty-six recommendations and guidelines, offering not only rationales for them, but also documentation and qualifications.