Departing Roche Institute members received severance packages from Hoffmann-La Roche that include bridging grants to help the researchers restart their labs and pay their postdocs, and they are allowed to take essentially all their laboratory equipment with them. This generous offer comes with strings attached, say institute scientists: They must agree not to speak negatively of Hoffmann-La Roche or its officers.
If the dispersing scientists hold their tongues--and many would not speak on the record to The Scientist--they'll be able to open new labs fully equipped. "And people were nicely equipped at the institute," notes director Herbert Weissbach. Ironically, Roche scientists are at a distinct disadvantage with respect to colleagues working in academia: They have no recent track record of extramural funding, since they never had to apply for grants while at the institute, as they were fully supported by Hoffmann-La Roche.
Following is a list of institute members' new ...
