Janelia researchers, who are developing new tools and techniques to speed the progress of science, strongly believe that sharing technologies with the community is an essential aspect of scientific citizenship.
As a medical research organization dedicated to conducting research in the public interest, Janelia is committed to disseminating the results of its research as broadly as possible so that the entire scientific community can build on those results to advance our shared knowledge and understanding.
Much of the data and know-how resulting from research at Janelia will be best shared through publication in scholarly journals, discussion at scientific conferences, and the general interchange of information within the scientific community. Many of the biological reagents resulting from research at Janelia will be best shared through distribution by the laboratory or through deposit of the materials with a non-profit repository that will handle distribution. Research materials and tools may also be shared through Internet posting or other broad distribution of protocols, source code, or design information.
In some cases, new tools or other results of basic research will require commercial investment before the results can be used effectively for the benefit of research or the public. For some inventions, we'll pursue patent protection as part of the process of getting necessary commercial investment to create a useful product. For other inventions, we'll pursue patent protections in order to protect a developing area against others' potential patent filings.