Structural genomics and the organisation of open science

One of the most hotly debated issues in contemporary academic science is the tension between open scientific inquiry and the privatisation of knowledge through intellectual property. Nowhere is this tension more obvious than in the life sciences, where academic research and industrial R&D have become intermingled. This paper examines the open science approach employed in the research field of structural genomics, giving rise to specific arrangements to organise the production and dissemination of knowledge. Features of the structural genomics approach are identified and discussed as they relate to the characteristics of the field and more generally to scientific activity.