Bert Gold <bgold at itsa.ucsf.edu> wrote
>Now, scientific research has reached the same dizzying quagmire.
>HUGE proportions of my tax dollars intended to be used for research
>are being siphoned by ADMINISTRATORS; and when rules outlawing this
>unconscionable, unethical behavior are debated, these ADMINSTRATORS
>are forcefully arguing against their implementation.
>NO WONDER THE REPUBLICANS ARE SUGGESTING THAT GOVERNMENT NO LONGER
>HAS A ROLE IN RESEARCH; CORRUPTION HAS REACHED SUCH STAGGERING LEVELS
>THAT THEY MAY INDEED BE CORRECT!
>REFORM MUST COME, just as it did with HUD and old HEW. It can be
>SUDDEN and PAINFUL, or GRADUAL and less so.
>Scientific Community, the choice is yours!
> Bert Gold, Ph.D. "If only we stay with that
principle
>University of California, San Francisco which counsels us always to
hold
>School of Medicine to the difficult, then that
which
> Department of Pediatrics now seems to us most foreign,
will
> Program in Medical Genetics become what we most trust and
>(415) 476-2850 find most faithful." - R.M.
Rilke
Research administrator serve the following main functions:
- they do their best keep individual investigators and the institution in
compliance with federal regulations. Failure to stay in compliance can
result in debarment from receiving federal grants and contracts
- they do their best to make sure investigators fill out application forms
correctly. This is not always an easy job, and is absolutely thankless.
But it keeps investigators from having their applications rejected on
technicalities
- they do their best to help investigators identify and approach both
government and non-government sources of funding for research
In summary, research administrators _serve_ the scientific community by
facilitating the funding of research. The need for research administrators
has increased as government regulation of the conduct of research has
increased. Who do you think handles the review of animal and human subject
protocols, investigation of alleged misconduct, reporting of conflicts of
interest, compliance with the drug-free workplace act, and all those other
regs? Researchers are already spending an inordinate amount of time just
writing grants - surely they don't want to take on all of these other
responsibilities as well.
As for charges of corruption - it seems to me you're on shaky legal ground
unless you've got some evidence to back up those charges.
Sherry A. Marts, Ph.D.
