“Open source” science: turning the software model inside out
Open Source
What prevents researchers from collaborating – from combining ideas required to generate innovative solutions to intractable scientific or social problems? According to Harvard Business School prof Karim Lakhani, the answer is two-fold: professional competitiveness that encourages rivalry, and intellectual property protections that discourage partnerships.
Even more intriguing is Lakhani’s suggestion for addressing these problems: bringing the philosophy and the methodology of open source software into the world of scientific inquiry. In a recent interview published on the HBS “Working Knowledge” website, Lakhani argues that “broadcasting” problems – i.e. introducing them to outsiders – not only accelerates problem-solving, but that the broader the web of outsiders engaged, the more likely the problem is to be solved.
The most important lesson: the idea of “open source” is not limited to software, nor is it an aberration. Instead, it’s a new model for problem-solving based on three key norms: transparency (sharing information), permeable access (creating mechanisms to allow for new inputs) and collaborations (working with multiple partners).
What struck me was Lakhani’s conviction that the most exciting breakthroughs happen where sectors and industries converge: “innovations happen at the intersection of disciplines,” he says. “People have talked about that a lot and I think we’re providing some systematic evidence of that now with this study.”
Open source is a more than a philosophy – it’s a metaphor for an age when the most exciting initiatives, organizations and companies are emerging from the “intersection of disciplines” Lakhani talks about – and that MaRS is working to foster and facilitate.
The article, “Open Source Science: A New Model for Innovation” can be viewed in full at:
Ross Wallace coordinates MaRS relations and collaboration with all levels of government, regional and international partners as well as other key stakeholders.
The researcher, Karim Lakhani, also has an interesting blog on this:
spoudaiospaizen [Serious Play].
Posted by: Cathy on December 5th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
[...] Ross at the MaRS blog has an interesting post on Open Source Science. He points to an interview at HBS Working Knowledge with Karim Lakhani. I agree with Ross that the most promising aspects of open-source approaches are the possibilities of collaborating between domains, at Johansson’s intersections. [...]
Posted by: Remarkk! » Open Source Innovation Models on December 7th, 2006 at 8:47 am
To remain competitive, this is the way of the future: distributed, networked and globally-connected communities of innovation. The key is to find the business models that work.
Posted by: Luc Lalande (Carleton University Foundry Program) on December 7th, 2006 at 11:50 am
[...] MaRS’ Ross Wallace shared the idea of a Harvard business prof who suggests researchers adopt software’s IP-less “open source� model in order to accelerate collaboration and innovation. [...]
Posted by: MaRS Blog - Innovation and Commercialization in Canada » Blog Archive » BioEntrepreneurship - Intellectual Property Strategy on December 11th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Hmmm! Seems to me that the scientific community invented open source — along with key features like “attribution” and “peer review” that are the hallmarks of open source today.
IMHO, scientific collaboration is limited more by reward systems (read “tenure” and “funding biases”) that fail to reward collaboration — whether with other disciplines or with industry — rather than professional rivalry or potential loss of IP.
Can science learn from open source? Absolutely! But when you get down to it, hesitating to collaborate — and more broadly, discounting the skills and contributions of those who do not belong to your “guild” — is not a new phenomenon or one unique to science. Just ask John Harrison!
Posted by: Mark Dietrich >> Innovation Institute of Ontario on December 11th, 2006 at 5:09 pm