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Open Source Models of Collaborative Innovation in the Life Sciences

Multi-Party Problem Solving (e.g. dialogues, roundtables, workshops)
International
May 2005 - Nov 2005

Project Lead: Todd Barker
Project Contact: Todd Barker
Contact Email: tbarker@merid.org

"Open source products" such as Linux operating software and Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, are those that have been developed by thousands of people collaborating across the Internet in a form of production sometimes referred to as distributed peer production. The Rockefeller Foundation sponsored a three-day meeting in Bellagio, Italy, in September 2005 to explore the feasibility of applying these "open source" models of innovation to the challenging health and agricultural problems confronting hundreds of millions of poor people in developing countries. Meridian staff facilitated the meeting. The 23 participants came from developed and developing countries and had diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to science, law, and policy. Donors, academics, government, industry, and nongovernmental organizations were all represented. A meeting summary is available for download in PDF format.


Team Members:

Shawn Walker
Michael Lesnick