Commercialization and collaboration: competing policies in publicly funded stem cell research?

Abstract

Advances in bibliometrics present new methods for analyzing emerging collaborative innovation models. These methods are illustrated by the Canadian Stem Cell Network, which fosters high-profile multidisciplinary, collaborative, international research. However, patenting negatively impacts collaboration patterns in published research. Policies directed at collaboration and commercialization may be in conflict, depending on the degree to which one activity is emphasized over the other.