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Unless you’ve worked in academia, it might be unclear how and why companies like Monsanto collaborate with university professors. The greatest reason for collaboration is that our knowledge is complementary and produces outcomes that benefit society.
Does Monsanto pay professors?
We don’t pay professors as direct compensation. But like many companies, we sometimes fund a professor’s research program or outreach.
Are academics saying good things about GMOs just because Monsanto is funding them?
A recent Pew Research Center study found that 88% of scientists believe GM foods are safe. Scientists are trained to communicate based on well-founded scientific evidence. When scientists agree or disagree, it is about the quality of the science, not about the source of funding.
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Does Monsanto use academics to lobby government officials?
We don’t have any professors working for us as lobbyists. But, government officials often want to hear about the safety of our products from experts outside Monsanto. We identify independent experts, oftentimes well known leaders in their field of study and highly respected by their peers, to communicate to public officials and society. In every such case, we thoroughly follow the laws to ensure our efforts are transparent, appropriate and legal.
Why should I trust academic research that a company helped pay for?
To succeed as a professor, you need a reputation for conducting research that’s trustworthy. I’ve never met a reputable professor who would risk their professional reputation by letting their funding sources distort their research findings. Research at universities is often funded by outside sources, including companies, and the government. A professor unable to conduct objective research regardless of funding source wouldn’t maintain their credibility.
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