Corporate Research Funds and Science

• Scientists struggle to balance IP secrecy with transparency and reproducibility.

• Companies often fund research with commercial potential.

• Google DeepMind released AlphaFold 3, a tool for predicting protein structures.

• The model’s functionality was unclear to scientists, and its protein-drug interactions simulator was not fully accessible.

• Google withheld information to protect a spinoff company, Isomorphic Labs, which was using AlphaFold 3 for drug development.

• Scientists argue for transparency and reproducibility while maintaining work confidentiality.

• The conflict between secrecy and advancing science is a significant concern.

• Universities and research institutes require funding to operate and generate revenue.

• They often want to patent to sustain their research enterprise.

• Scientists can balance patent protection with scientific transparency.

• Some suggest publishing all code and details of an algorithm but keeping a premium, ready-to-use version for commercialization.

• Not all scientists have access to large amounts of public funding.

• Collaborations with smaller start-ups or large corporations can help some researchers get more money.

• More government funding can circumvent the conflict between patented and open science.