Dr Robert Nadon | Incentives, transparency, and personal responsibility in biomedical research

Both the scientific and lay press are increasingly reporting that too much of published biomedical research is wrong, with far-reaching implications for public health and for public finances. US$200 billion was spent worldwide on biomedical research in 2010 alone, 85% of which is estimated to have been wasted. System changes such as education, data sharing, better safeguards, and a more equitable reward system are necessary but insufficient for improvement. Rather, there must also be a cultural change among individual scientists. It is clear, however, that necessary reforms of how biomedical research is conducted, funded, and published are meeting with resistance from those most affected by them – the scientists themselves. As noted by the journalist Richard Harris, adhering to rigorous standards that are increasingly being required by institutions, funders, and publishing bodies is often at odds with career advancement in the hypercompetitive world of biomedical research. Scientists should not have to choose between their careers and meeting scientific standards. This talk is part of an ongoing project to better understand this tension and to help pave the way for changes that will improve the quality of, and increase the public’s confidence in, biomedical science.