Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

Sponsoring of ATOD learned societies by organizations with vested interests:

Proposal for guidelines

Gerhard BühringerFranziska Bellinger

ICARA Annual Meeting, Budapest, 30 – 31. August 2015

Sponsoring/funding is used interchangeableFirst version 31.08.2015/revised 05.10.2015

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Topics

(1) Background

(2) Decision factors

(3) Proposal for guidelines

(4) Conclusions

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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1. Background

1.1 Sponsoring/funding by organizations with vested 1.1 Sponsoring/funding by organizations with vested interestsinterests

•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)

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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1. Background

1.2 Type of interests1.2 Type of interests

(1)Direct financial interests

(2)Indirect financial interests

(3)Political interests

(4)Professional interests

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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1. Background

1.3 Way of influence1.3 Way of influenceCombining 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)

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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2. Decision factors

Society sponsoring: To accept or not? 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

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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2. Decision factors

Society sponsoring: To accept or not? 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

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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3. Proposal for guidelines

(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

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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3. Proposal for guidelines(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

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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4. Conclusions

Basic ConditionsBasic 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

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapie – Chair of Addiction Research

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.htmBühringer, 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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5. Sources