Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
Sponsoring of ATOD learned societies
by organizations with vested interests:
Proposal for guidelines
Gerhard Bühringer
Franziska Bellinger
ICARA Annual Meeting, Budapest, 30 – 31. August 2015
Sponsoring/funding is used interchangeable
First version 31.08.2015/revised 05.10.2015
Topics
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
(1) Background
(2) Decision factors
(3) Proposal for guidelines
(4) Conclusions
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1. Background
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
1.1 Sponsoring/funding by organizations with vested
interests
• Industry
• Social aspect organizations (e. g. International Center for
Alcohol Policies)
• Public agencies (e. g. State monopolies; political interests)
• NGO– type (charity) organizations (e. g. treatment interests)
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1. Background
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
1.2 Type of interests
(1) Direct financial interests
(2) Indirect financial interests
(3) Political interests
(4) Professional interests
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1. Background
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
1.3 Way of influence
Combining sponsoring with restrictions of independent
scientific work/activities, e.g.
(1) Meeting and Conference topics
(2) Selection of speakers
(3) Society statements
(4) Society research guidelines
(5) Society research funding topics/processes (if applicable)
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2. Decision factors
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
Society sponsoring: To accept or not?
(1) Economic needs
(2) Reputation of the sponsering body
(3) Wide or tight range of sponsored activities
(4) Amount/intensity/type of limitations/requirements
•
Within the agreement
•
In the process of spending the money
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2. Decision factors
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
Society sponsoring: To accept or not?
(5) Degree/content of planned public relations about the sponsored
activity
(6) Possible influence on degree/content of public relations
(7) Degree of transparency on agreement details for members,
scientific community and public
(8) Discussion within members on principles of sponsoring
(9) Ethical risks
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3. Proposal for guidelines
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
(1) Written, publicly accessible policy on regulations for accepting
sponsoring
(2) Written, publicy accessible agreement on accepted sponsoring
•
Sponsor/ background organizations
•
Amount, duration and aims
•
Rights and limitations for the learned society
•
Rights and limitations for the funding organization
•
Regulationes for premature termination of sponsoring
•
Type/degree/influence on public relation activities
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3. Proposal for guidelines
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
(3) Information about sponsoring organizations and agreements for all
sponsored activities
(4) Independent Scientific Control Board
(5) Annual report of the Scientific Board on sponsored activities for
members and public
(6) Transparent financial share of sponsored means in the annual
budget
(7) Limitations for the share of sponsored budget (e.g. 10%)
(8) Public disclosure of possible competing interests: Board, workgroup
members, conference speakers
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4. Conclusions
Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research
Basic Conditions
(1) Discussion within Society members on sponsoring
(2) Written policy
(3) Written agreement on sponsoring with all rights/influences of
the sponsor
(4) Independent external scientific control
(5) Transparency of all details and processes
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5. Sources
Adams, P. (2007). Assessing whether to receive funding support from tobacco, alcohol, gambling and
other dangerous consumption industries. Addiction, 102, 1027-1033.
Babor, T. F. & Miller, P. G. (2014). McCarthyism, conflict of interest and Addiction’s new transparency
declaration procedures. Addiction, 109(3), 341-344.
Babor, T. F., Stenius, K., Savva, S. & O’Reilly, J. (Eds.) (2008,2nd ed.). Publishing addiction science: A Guide
for
the perplexed. Retrieved from http://www.parint.org/isajewebsite/isajebook_order.htm
Bühringer, G. & Batra, A. (2004). Industriesponsoring: Teufelszeug, akzeptable, sinnvolle oder notwendige
Finanzierungsquelle? [Industry sponsoring – devil`s work, acceptable, useful or necessary financial
resouces?] Sucht, 50 (2), 99-101.
Deutsche Hauptstelle für Suchtfragen e. V. (2003). Positionspapier der DHS zur Verwendung von Geldern
der Tabak-, Alkohol- und Glücksspielindustrie. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/Arbeitsfeld_Suchthilfe/Positionspapier_zur_Verwendung_von_Gelder_2003.pdf
[ Position paper of the DHS on the use of funds from the tobacco-, alcohol- and gambling industry]
Miller, P., Babor, T., McGover, T., Obot, I., Bühringer, G. (in press). Poisoned Chalice? Relationships with
Funding Agencies that have vested interests such as the alcoholic beverage industry,
pharmaceutical companies and others.
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