Seeking Scientific Riddle Solvers

Herman Sintim, a graduate student at Oxford University in England, tried his hand at a simple molecular-synthesis project. When he solved it, he not only won $2,000 (US), but also became one of the first scientists to participate in a unique incentive program sponsored by an offshoot of Eli Lilly and Co. This past summer, the pharmaceutical giant launched InnoCentive.com, a Web site where scientists from Big Pharma and start-up biotechs post problems for outside researchers to solve. Companies signed on to InnoCentive have posted organic chemistry problems carrying potential awards worth a total of $1.9 million, and the Web venture plans to unveil problems in molecular biology and genetics within the coming year. The private labs that post the problems benefit by expanding their scientific knowledge without paying salaries and benefits; the outside researchers who solve the puzzles benefit by collecting cash awards. "It was really fun," Sintim relates. "As students, we always do that—we have problems in class to solve. Initially, it was just a challenge: 'Let me see if I can do that.'" Sintim's effort and award also provoked debate among university officials who were proud of his accomplishment but worried about some of its implications. Sintim got authorization from his tutor before attacking the InnoCentive problem. But until the student won, the teacher had not thoroughly considered the intellectual-property implications. When the student earned money from a company, his status may have changed to that of a paid consultant. "Good for him that he came up with a good idea," says David M. Hodgson, senior chemistry tutor and fellow at Oxford. "But in effect, this [InnoCentive] impinges on the whole area of consultancy, which is a very difficult one for academics." Students at Oxford validate and refine their class work by tapping one of the database search engines that the university licenses, and that's the potential problem, according to Hodgson. The students may be tempted to use the databases for InnoCentive, he speculates, and license terms forbid use of the databases for nonacademic work. Even faculty working as consultants can't use the databases. Students also sign agreements not to use the chemistry search engines for nonclassroom activities. "That's something that's very hard to police," says Hodgson, adding that students could use old-fashioned manual searches of the abstracts to solve the InnoCentive chemistry problems, if they know how. Transferring Risks to Researchers Courtesy of Eli Lilly and Co.Darren Carroll By putting problem solvers (outside researchers) together with companies that have science problems for both fun and profit, InnoCentive aims to accelerate scientific innovation by using the Internet to end-run ordinary business processes, according to Darren Carroll, InnoCentive CEO. "We actually think that we can find a new way for scientists to work," Carroll says, adding that the company appeals to scientists, and expects to have eight more firms signed on early in 2002. Early awards have been small. A US graduate student solved two $2,000 questions, and Sintim solved one. Some serious money is at stake, though, including two $100,000 questions and several others with awards in the $50,000 to $90,000 range. A scientist who can synthesize a mystery molecule—to be revealed after the researcher signs a confidentiality pledge—can earn $100,000. Prizes vary according to the perceived difficulty of the problem. But the difficulty is, in part, a function of how much a scientist already knows. Would-be solvers who go at an issue from scratch could, however, wind up working for nothing if a competitor comes up with a better answer. "Solvers will be asked to take risks," Carroll says. "The current model in research is the monolithic risk model where the solution-seeking company takes all the risk." Time and Tools InnoCentive is not about to stand the research world on its head any time soon, however. "I would think that most people working in synthesis labs would have more than enough on their plates without trying to find time to work on other people's problems," muses Tom Muir, associate professor of combinatorial protein chemistry at Rockefeller University. "It may be useful as a tool for graduate students, actually," he adds. "I don't know whether they'll put the synthesis up on the Web, which would make it useful purely from an educational point of view." Richard J. Sohn, director of the office of grants and contracts at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, expresses caveats. "There's an issue, since at most universities it's the university that decides upon or agrees to the terms and conditions," Sohn says. "There would be an issue or at least a degree of concern. Are the [academic scientists] involved in other work for the company? Would this influence their other work? There's always the potential of conflict-of-interest." Skeptics though they are, Muir and Sohn caution that they have not examined the InnoCentive model in detail. The Web venture might well expand opportunities for academic researchers, they concede. "It's not something I would say no to off the top of my head," Sohn allows. "It's a novel concept, I'll say that. I would certainly have to look at it before I would wholeheartedly support it." If the financial incentive pushes the edges of intellectual property systems at universities, Carroll says, maybe it's about time. "Perhaps this is the time to revisit some of those policies," the CEO says. "Students are always looking for ways to measure teachers' relevance to the commercial world that they are about to venture out into." Peg Brickley (dbizpeg@bellatlantic.net) is a freelance writer in Philadelphia.

Seeking Scientific Riddle Solvers

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of