Developing an Ethics Policy for CIHR Partnerships with the For-Profit Private Sector
CIHR's Mandate: The importance of partnerships
The emphasis on the need for partnerships begins with the CIHR Act, which states that Institutes are responsible for, among other things, cooperating with "a wide range of partners from all relevant sectors". CIHR is also mandated to "enhance economic development in Canada and promote growth and job creation in key sectors of the knowledge-based economy". This emphasis on partnerships, and the potentially beneficial role of the private sector, is reflected in key policy documents such as the CIHR's Investing in Canada's Future: CIHR's Blueprint For Health Research and Innovation 2003/04 - 2007/08; the Final Report of the Working Group on Partnerships [ HTML | PDF (136 KB) | Help ] (Presented to Governing Council, November 23, 2001); and the CIHR Commercialization and Innovation Strategy, November 2005.
Multi-sectoral Workshop
To move forward on this issue, the Ethics Office held a multi-stakeholder workshop on March 19-20, 2007 in Ottawa.
The objectives of the workshop were to: (1) identify and foster discussion of the ethical issues associated with CIHR's partnerships with the for-profit private sector; and (2) identify the elements that need to be covered in a CIHR Ethics Policy on partnerships with the for-profit private sector. This policy could be a stand-alone document or incorporated into a section of a broader CIHR policy.
Roughly half of workshop participants were from CIHR and half were from partner groups. Participants were provided with a Workbook, heard presentations from six speakers, and engaged in discussions. Reference documents included federal government partnership tools developed by Public Works Government Services Canada. The outcomes of the workshop are described in a Report, and summarized below.
Workshop: Key Results
After listening to presentations, dialoguing with speakers and engaging in small group discussions, participants were asked to respond to three open-ended questions: (1) identify the most important ethical issues associated with CIHR’s partnerships with the for-profit private sector, (2) identify the elements that need to be covered in a CIHR ethics policy on partnerships with the for-profit private sector, and (3) other issues relevant to participants. The responses to the survey were presented the next morning to the group in order of frequency of mention.
Most Important Ethical Issues
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Clearly defined mission/objectives consistent with CIHR mandate
CIHR must be clear in its mission and objectives for partnerships at the institutional level. These elements will provide the framework within which partnerships can be created. -
Management of risk and protection of CIHR reputation and independence
One of the most important components of a partnering relationship to all involved is the preservation of the institutional reputation. -
Effective management of duality of conflict / conflict of interest
All partner relationships will involve conflict of interest and dualities of interest. Additional work is needed to define these two concepts and build a framework that is practical and realistic. -
Due diligence and proper disclosure
Understanding the partner with which one is working and building transparency into the relationship at the early stages of development will be critical to the success of the partnership. -
Determine/assess the value and benefits of the partnership
Each organization at the outset must have a clear understanding of the value and benefits that the partnership will offer. -
Clarity on intellectual property issues
Managing the intellectual property involved in projects of a partnership nature can often be challenging and of utmost importance to the for-profit private sector partners.
Elements of a Policy on the Ethics of Partnerships
The following elements of an ethics policy were identified in participant questionnaires, and discussed in plenary.
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Establish broad overarching principles
The partner relationship should be grounded in principles that all parties support and uphold. The public good, transparency, access to information, accountability and governance were recommended as a good starting point for the policy. -
Flexibility and balance
The importance of building an ethics policy that allows for flexibility and balance were articulated extensively over the course of the workshop. -
Language that encourages partnerships
An ethics policy needs to be written in a way that encourages partnerships and does not inhibit the ability of CIHR and for-profit private sector businesses to build relationships based on mutually beneficial goals. -
Stewardship of resources
CIHR has been given the task of balancing sound stewardship (using resources wisely and acting in the public’s best interest) with innovation (new and better ways to get greater value from the public dollar). -
Evaluation process
An ethics policy should also provide guidance on how to manage challenges that emerge after a partnership relationship his been established and the project is in the middle of completion. -
Best practices and tools
High level guidance on ethics is an important first step, but case studies, commentaries, criteria and tools would help to operationalize high level policies and provide guidance to practitioners. -
Minimal Bureaucracy
The need for a practical ethics policy was a consistent topic of discussion among participants. Along this vein, participants underscored the message that building a bureaucratic, top-heavy and complex process to review and ‘approve’ partnerships would be unhelpful.
