MODELS FOR COLLABORATIONS AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY - Collaborative Computational Technologies for Biomedical Research - page 41

the multisector consortiums developed over the last fi ve years are precompeti-
tive in their design, and many of the consortium outcomes and results are
aimed at developing public resources and/or placing information into the
public domain.

3.3 CONSORTIA MODEL

A consortium can be envisioned as a multistakeholder effort developed in
order to undertake a large-scale initiative that no single entity could achieve
alone. In general, a consortium can be distinguished from a partnership based
on the scope and size of stakeholders. However, the underlying concepts of
leveraging resources, sharing cost and risk, and increasing intellectual input
exist in both the basic partnership model and the consortia model.
One distinguishable element of any collaborative effort is whether or not
the initiative will be structured as a competitive or precompetitive initiative.
While there is no exact formula for building a precompetitive collaboration,
a hallmark shared by all precompetitive efforts is that the outcomes of the
initiative will benefi t the scientifi c community at large—as opposed to merely
benefi ting the participants to the effort.
A second distinguishing element of the consortia model is that a more
diverse stakeholder group is involved. Increasingly, U.S. government agencies
such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), nonprofi t organizations, and others are joining with
academic and industry researchers to further their individual mandates and
missions.
The decision for a government agency or any other entity to join a consor-
tium goes much further than whether the effort will be competitive or pre-
competitive (e.g., will public resources be generated as a result of the
consortium's work). When the government agency decides to participate in a
consortium or other partnership, there must be careful consideration of all
aspects of its involvement, including (1) whether the mission of the consortium
aligns with the mission of the agency, (2) whether the use of the agency's
resources in the consortium is justifi ed, (3) whether the agency's involvement
in the consortium will be the subject of public controversy, for example.
Regardless of whether or not a consortium is a public-private partnership
(e.g., government is a participant) or a private-private partnership or a public-
public partnership (e.g., only government participants), a successful consor-
tium will always set forth at its inception the mission, policies, governance
structure, and expectation of partners, at a minimum. However, as with any
large-scale collaboration, perceived and inherent barriers exist that must be
overcome. Examples of perceived barriers include:

￿ Concerns that by sharing data and information a company might give
away information that could someday generate profi ts (e.g., loss of intel-
lectual property)