Re: [Rdkit-discuss] Open-source business models and the RDKit

[Geoffrey H. <geo...@gm...>]

> - That last bullet point likely works for academics too: think about adding some support for open-source development to your next grant proposal. I would assume that there are ways to engineer this.

I have the most experience with this point, naturally. Suffice to say that I've written support letters for numerous NIH and NSF-funded projects. In NSF lingo, open source development for widely-used packages is a clear "broader impact" and generally appreciated by reviewers.

The big challenge on the academic side is similar to what Andrew mentioned - that it's easier to get people (i.e., funding sources) interested in new feature X than in testing, bug fixing and documentation.

Greg's point about support contracts I think is important - there's a definite need for this and I hope to see this area grow.

Cheers,
-Geoff