Limited access to data 'could increase potential of science software'

A study into how limiting access to data sets for use with science software affects product development has yielded some counter-intuitive results.

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) looked into how restricted access to previous findings for use in modern science software can impact on production costs and time to market.

Perhaps intuitively, they found costs are increased when previous research findings are made less available to those working on new pharmaceutical and clinical solutions.

However, they claim that life expectancy would increase and more products would be developed if tighter restrictions were imposed on data.

By extending controls in the US from the current standard period of five years to that used in Europe, which is around ten years, the scientists claim generic drug manufacturers could be dissuaded from focusing on cheaper versions of existing therapies.

This, they say, would increase costs but also drive innovation of entirely new solutions, rather than cheaper duplication of existing drugs.

USC claims to be a leader in an "ever-flattening world" thanks to its high proportion of international students compared with other US academic institutions.