Intel's Open Collaborative Research
Described by Business Week [1]:
"Intel established exploratory research labs adjacent to leading research centers such as Berkeley, Cambridge University in Britain, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Washington. Intel provides the funding and each lab houses 20 Intel employees and 20 university researchers. While each lab has a unique focus—such as ubiquitous computing or distributed storage—the research teams from each lab meet regularly, as Intel has found that some of most promising insights and applications flow from unexpected synergies that arise when teams from different institutions discuss their research.
And rather than wrangle over who gets to control and exploit the fruits of joint research efforts, Intel and its academic partners sign Intel's open collaborative research agreement, which grants nonexclusive rights to all parties. Both sides retain their freedom to engage in further research, develop new products, and partner with other players. Like the pharmaceutical industry, Intel is finding that the benefits of casting a wide net for new ideas and learning rapidly from the external research ecosystem greatly outweigh the advantages gained from keeping the basic scientific research proprietary. More than Good Manners
The results so far seem to justify Intel's approach. In the four years since the first exploratory lab was launched, research in areas such as polymer storage, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), optical switching, inexpensive radio frequency (RF), and mesh networking has matured more quickly than expected. Many ideas have already been transferred downstream toward product development.
In the end, close cooperation with leading universities helps Intel maintain its edge, while spreading the upfront costs of R&D across a much broader research ecosystem. By leveraging its university connections skillfully, Intel gains access to the results produced by the bulk of the research community without sacrificing its ability to exploit the research in the downstream stages of product development." (http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/mar2007/id20070302_219704_page_3.htm)