Science has been the underlying principle of many of the most significant technological advances around the globe. From new drug treatments and energy production, to computer chip technology. While innovation is what drives scientific research, business is primarily about making money and making shareholders happy. Science and business were traditionally considered to be two separate realms. But, they are interconnected and it is impossible to isolate the impact of scientific research from its business impacts.

While the business world is mostly focused on earning money, its long-term consequences can quantum physics have significant environmental, social and economic impacts. Science is also concerned about the impact of its actions, particularly its decisions on resource exploitation and sustainable development. A smart business, for instance, will exploit the natural resources at an amount that science deems as sustainable – but the greed of a few businesses has resulted in over-exploitation and ecological disaster.

We have categorised the various ways that corporations attempt to influence science at the macro as well as meso-levels, and mapped the intended outcomes and effects of these strategies (TL did the initial code-coding, AG second-coded 20 per percent of the papers). We discovered that companies employ five macro-level strategies, which work together to minimise perceived credibility of unfavourable science and maximize favourable science. These strategies are implemented through meso strategies that in time, can skew the evidence base in favour of industry. It has three distal consequences to discredit the harms that could be caused by products and practices; to encourage policy responses that favor industry; and to maximise sales, consumption and use of industry products.