Taking into account the social conflicts and the many forces present in the domain of health occupations and professions, the authors propose a critical reflection on the role played by the state in the promotion of public interest and the delegation of this role to professional bodies, using a study of an occupational group in the health sector that was carried out in Portugal. The discussion is developed within the domain of the social conditions of sociological research that either uses public funding approved within a public tender and submitted to scientific evaluation, or uses private funding and is commissioned by the private sector, as is the case with one professional group.