Arrowhead Tools joins the Eclipse Family

Arrowhead’s goal has always been to operate beyond the “closed shop” that traps many academic projects and by partnering with the Eclipse Foundation, Arrowhead will significantly expand its reach and impact.

Researchers often need prototypes to investigate and validate their findings, but there is usually little incentive to continue beyond the prototype stage. Partnerships with SMEs and software vendors formed during a research project may result in potential for innovation and  

technology transfers but is also associated with a number of risks. On one hand, businesses may take what they find interesting but decide not to continue to support the research project and withdraw funding. On the other hand, researchers may inhibit further software development withdraw code or cooperation leaving partners stranded before a technology transfer is complete. Another risk is that code produced in a research project is bought and protected by a competitor thus halting development within the project and again leaving other partners stranded. 

An open source platform retains the code at the centre of any collaboration, making it available for new partners – new research labs, new software vendors and new industries can be invited to join – without it being vulnerable if one partner decides to leave. Open-source may seem like an unconventional solution for software vendors and SMEs who are used to competing with one another on an open market. However, by sharing the investment and development costs for common pieces of code required by all parties, resources are freed up for stakeholders to focus on activities that add value. As Philippe Krief, Eclipse’s Director of Research Relations summarizes, “Why reinvent the wheel, when we can work together to build a car?” 

While introducing open-source code to a GitHub repository may not be a demanding activity, a network of expertise, an understanding of best practices and well-developed infrastructure including competence in the relevant legal areas is needed to truly allow partners to fully realise the potential of this type of collaboration. The Eclipse Foundation, with over 16 years of experience and a strong foundation based on more than 300 members, provides a community with clear procedures and governance, expertise in IP management and licensing as well as the necessary infrastructure and eco-systems.

The Eclipse Foundation has a wide reach with 2.5 million unique website visits every month and 360,000 newsletter subscribers. The organisation is currently engaged in more than 360 projects and has produced 195 million lines of code – a figure that continues to grow. In joining the Eclipse family Arrowhead expands the network of partners and adds competence to Eclipse’s IoT Research Portfolio 

Find out more about The Eclipse Foundation here.