PPRPs: The benefits and risks of the bargain

Here we examine real-world examples of public–private research partnerships (PPRPs), assessing a few notable case studies such as Washington University–Monsanto and Berkeley–Novartis. Over the last 30 years, the private sector has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into university research through PPRPs, and we review the basic terms and conditions of such contractual commitments including partner selection, governance, publication delay, academic freedom, confidentiality, and patents and licensing. We also present guidelines that universities have developed to manage these partnerships, evaluating consistency across these guidelines.