Moral problem Accept questionable funding source? Group 3 Senad Apelfröjd Bojan Brodic Reinert Karlsen Ola Eriksson Luka Supraha

Problem We are working in renewable energy but have a possibility to get founding from the oil industry. Problem owner Researcher doing the application for funding at the department. Question Is it ok to take this funding to get funding for your research. How might it impact the result and use of the research?

Q1 - Will there be any ethical problems or conflicts in the context, in the organisation or in the group where your decision will be applied or your solution will be used? The members of the research group might not want to work with these companies. The credibility of the research will be lower due to the risk of biased science. Can result in issues getting future funding for yourself and other members of the research team due to loss of credibility within research community.

Q2 - Will your decision or solution cause any ethical problems or conflicts? Restrictions put by the funding source can limit or prevent scientific advance (publishing, holding back patents) due to personal interests concerning the findings. For example important discoveries are held back, which could have benefitted society at large.

Q3 - Are there any alternatives to your solution? Possibility to get funding from other sources, or cofunding making you more independent of the company. These are however more difficult to get, will take more time and provide lower amounts of money (puts other restrictions on the research, perhaps limiting the possibility to fulfil your teams full potential).

Q4 - What groups, individuals, organisations, etc, will in any way be affected by or have a stake in the development, use, application or mere existence of your decision and solution? (Including society at large and the environment.) Employees, Department and also the University Oil industry Renewable energy industry Environment / society

Q5 - What values, interests, duties, standpoints and attitudes are involved in the use of your solution and of the possible alternatives? Environmental goals Biased research Personal interests

Oil industry funding Strengths/possibilities: have (more) funding perform (better) research Weaknesses/risks: risk credibility of our work lose collaborators Q6 - What effects will your solution (and the alternatives) have on each of these values? What are the strengths/possibilities and the weaknesses/risks of each solution to each value? Will these solutions fit certain values and conflict with others? What values and how? Effect on our values: - Biased research +/- Personal interests - Environmental goals

Other sources of funding Strengths/possibilities: You will be more credible Independant and unbiased research Weaknesses/risks: Might get less funding Effect on our values: + Unbiased research +/- Personal interests + Environmental goals Q6 – Continued. Effect of the solution on our values

Q7 – What will you do to make sure that the use of the solution will be optimal with regards to ethical aspects? For instance, adapt the design of the product, use of research methods, cooperation with industry, information to stakeholders, etc? How exactly are you going to succeed with this? Funding from sources other than oil industry seems more acceptable in respect to our values and ethical aspects We should have a clear funding and research policy The policy should be in agreement with our values and recommended research norms

Solution Take the funding from the oil industry