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Please add any new resources through this form or by commenting on this google sheet. The data can also be downloaded from this sheet.
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Acknowledgement: This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101094406.
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OrganisationPolicyCountryNotesAreas coveredAdded to CollectionLast internal update or review of policy
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Aalto UniversityOpen Source PolicyFinlandThis policy supports the release of work with limited commercial potential. Ownership20232017-11-13
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Ahmadu Bello UniversityResearch PolicyNigeriaOwnership of copyright for software belongs to the university; software included under inventions.ownership, copyright2025
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Alfred Wegener InstitutGuidelines for the development and use of research softwareGermanyThe AWI recognizes research software as both a vital tool and a scientific product, protected by copyright, and commits to sustainable, open, and reusable software development to ensure traceability, reproducibility, and quality in line with Helmholtz Centre guidelines. To support this, AWI provides infrastructure, consulting, publication platforms, and training opportunities, while promoting recognition of software developers’ contributions and career development.various, including reuse, copyright, reproducibility, training, roles and career advancement2025
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American University of BeirutIntellectual Property Policy CyprusIntellectual property includes research outputs like software or inventions, which are presumed owned by the University with benefit-sharing rights for the originator.intellectual property 2025
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Caltech (California Institute of Technology)Caltech Copyright and Software PolicyUSAThe policy outlines the ownership and distribution of copyrights and royalties for various copyrightable materials produced by faculty members at the Institute.Ownership, royalty income, copyright2023-05-162007-03-13
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CERNOpen Science PolicySwitzerlandIncludes a section on Open Source Software that covers openess/licensing, best practice, and contribution to open source software relevant to its mission through code contributions, participation in the evolution of software, and standardisation.Various including licensing, reuse, reproducibility, integrity, education, training and outreach20232022-09
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Department of Energy (DOE) United StatesOpen Source Software PolicyUSAFor development and use of open source software.Licensing, Open Source2023-05-162010-04-29
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Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information DOE CODE Software PolicyUSAThe DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (DOE OSTI) developed DOE CODE, providing functionality for collaboration, archiving, and discovery of scientific and business software. DOE CODE fulfills requirements to maintain an inventory of all DOE-funded custom-developed software and to report this inventory to the government-wide Code.gov website.Access, sharing, preservation, licensing2024-082018
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ETH ZurichGuidelines for the Financial Exploitation of Research Results at ETH ZurichSwitzerlandThis document covers the financial exploitation of research results, specifically the commercial exploitation of inventions and computer programs. It includes sections on ownership, disclosure procedures, funding patents, and revenue allocation. It seeks to protect intellectual property while giving guidance to academics regarding innovation and collaboration with industry.Intellectual property, licensing, commercialization2024-03-302020-01-01
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EURACResearch Data and Source Code Management Strategy for Eurac ResearchinternationalConsiders source code and research software as primary research outputs; and requires their management in line with FAIR principles, including documentation, maintenance, version control, licensing compliance, and open-source publication where possible.various, including documentation, versioning, licensing, FAIR, publication2025
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European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)Open Science and Open Access Policy EuropeRequirements include using open source software by default and sharing your software in a public software repository; ORCID required. various, including open access, open source, recognition 2025
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European Space Agency (ESA)ESA open source policyInternationalTo effectively implement an OSS strategy and seize industry opportunities in the global market, both within and beyond the space sector, ESA must establish a clear strategy. This strategy will reinforce ESA's leadership in software development for the space sector and enable ESA to fulfill its role as a focal point for European research and innovation.Open Source Software, distribution, licensing, intellectual property, visibility2023-05-16NA
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Finnish Meteorological InstituteOpen-Source Software PolicyFinlandThis policy is designed for publicly funded research that results in software development. It outlines the need for clear copyright ownership and encourages using Finnish Meteorological Society-approved licenses like MIT, Apache 2.0, or BSD 3-Clause to ensure the software's wide availability. An embargo period of up to two years is allowed before software must be open-sourced. The policy stresses the importance of using OSS dependencies, maintaining rigorous version control, comprehensive documentation, and archiving for long-term preservation, recommending GitHub for version control repository. This policy applies to all publicly funded research activities that have as a result the development of software.Licensing, reuse2023-05NA
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Forschungszentrum JülichGuidelines for the development and distribution of software at Forschungszentrum JülichGermanySoftware development is an intellectual achievement protected by copyright and, in the context of research, an independent, first-class product of scientific work.Until now, Forschungszentrum Jülich did not have a practical or secure framework within which employees could develop software.With the guidelines presented here, Forschungszentrum Jülich aims to support the development, management, distribution and impact of research software that meets high quality standards.They primarily target developers and employees who are involved in and deserve credit for this.Software development, Licensing, and distribution.2025-072022
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Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)Guidelines for implementing open science at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). Open Science PolicyGermanyFAU promotes open-source software by prioritizing it over proprietary systems, embedding open science practices into research and evaluation, and aiming to publish all in-house or contracted software openly for community use.open source software, open science 2025
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Helmholtz Open Science OfficeModel Policy on Sustainable Software at the Helmholtz CentersGermanyThe Model Policy was drawn up by the Research Software Task Group with the assistance of other experts from the Helmholtz Association and was agreed with the Technology Transfer and Commercial Legal Protection Working Group and the Legal Affairs Working Group. See also the Checklist to Support the Helmholtz Centers in Implementing Policies on Sustainable Research Software and the 2019 Recommendations for the Implementation of Guidelines and Policies on Research Software Management at the Helmholtz CentersOpen science, research software management20232019-11-21
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Helmholtz-Centrum Postdam (GFZ)Policy on Use and Licensing of Research SoftwareGermanyIncludes strategic measures for the valorisation of software; and principles for the development, use, exploitation and licensing of research software.Licensing20232023-04-12
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Heriot Watt UniversityIntellectual Property PolicyUKThe policy specifies that software and related works are included as copyrightable IP, with open-licensed materials and software required to release derivatives into the public domain under their licensing terms.intellectual property 2025
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Imperial College LondonResearch Data Management Policy UKPrincipal Investigators must archive the specific software version used in research data generation or analysis in a repository, notify the Library of its location, and are encouraged to follow the Software Sustainability Institute’s Sustainability and Preservation Framework.archiving, versioning 2025
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Indian Institute of Technology RoorkeeIntellectual Property Rights Policy IndiaIntellectual property, including software, created with significant institutional resources, sponsorship, or as work-for-hire belongs to the Institute, while creations made independently without substantial use of resources remain with the creator.intellectual property, use of university resources 2025
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Instituto de Investigacion SanitariaInstitutional Policy of Open ScienceSpainAll research-related software should be released under open licenses to enable review, improvement, and reuse by the scientific community and beyond.various, including open source software, licensing, reuse2025
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Johns Hopkins UniversityIntellectual Property Policy USWhen software is developed by faculty using University support, the University will own all rights to such property, including copyright (subject to agreements with appropriate funding sources).intellectual property, use of university resources 2025
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Kenyatta UniversityResearch & Innovation PolicyKenya Outlines ownership of software; software belongs to creator if individual scholarship, owned by the university if employee is hired for purpose of developing software. ownership 2025
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Kings College LondonFair Publication PolicyUKIncudes research software engineers in list of staff who should receive appropriate recognition and acknowledgement of their level of contribution to publications as standard practice within tjhe research community.Roles and career advancement20232022-04-20
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Leibniz AssociationLeibniz Open Science Policy GermanyThe policy defines Open Research Software, Infrastructure, and Methodology as openly accessible, licensed, and referenceable tools, platforms, and processes (primarily based on open-source software) that enhance transparency, usability, and visibility of research outputs and methods.open source software, publication, visibility 2025
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Leipzig University LibraryGuidelines for the Development of Open Source Software at Leipzig University Library v1.0
and Github (both in German)
GermanyAn introductory overview of the benefits of using open source are explained here, among others. Cite the the Public Code Initiative, Open Source Guide, Criteria for open-source software from the Open Source Initiative.Versioning, licensing, archiving, publication, documentation, 2023-05-162020-06-08
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Maastricht UniversityOpen Science NetherlandsIncludes FAIR software as one of the seven branches of the policy. Addresses topics such as versioning, training, use of Software Management Plans.Open science, FAIR, SMPs, training, versioning20232022
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Max Planck Institute for MeteorologySoftware Licensing and Copyright Policy for Research Software Code cites the Contributor Licence Agreement (CLA)GermanyAs good scientific practice, the MPI-M encourages and supports the publication of software written at the institute as "Free and Open Source Software". This ensures that the authorship of the software remains visible even if the software is passed on or further developed.Licensing, reuse, FOSS, copyright, contribution20232022-07-04
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McGill UniversityPolicy on inventions and softwareCanadaThe policy sets forth the rules applying to the ownership of, and rights to, intellectual property in the form of Inventions and Software developed by McGill University academic staff, administrative and support staff, students, as well as any other physical person working or doing research at or under the auspices of the University.Inventions and software; ownership; commercialization2024-06-14NA
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MITIntellectual Property Policy USThe government retains certain rights to software and data from federally funded research, while MIT owns patentable inventions, software, and materials.intellectual property 2025
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Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)Intellectual Property Policy UAEThe University explicitly claims ownership of software created by personnel or students within employment scope, using significant resources, or under third-party agreements, while independent works without such involvement remain with the creator.intellectual property, use of university resources 2025
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Monash University (Business School)Research Software StandardsAustraliaThis outlines a process for assessing software in career advancement. Whilst this is a draft, the final policy is in place (but not publicly available).Roles and career advancement20232021-09-23
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NASA (Science Mission Directorate)Scientific Information policyUSADescribes how scientific information (including software) is shared.Licensing2023NA
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Netherlands eScience CenterPolicy towards publishing, licensing and intellectual propertyNetherlandsThe eScience Center strives to make its software available in a way that enables collaborative Open Science, as well as use by private parties. This is done by publicly releasing software under a permissive free and open source (FOSS) license, in particular the Apache License version 2.0. IP20242017
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Netherlands eScience CenterPolicy concerning the use of Generative AI at the Netherlands eScience CenterNetherlandsProvides guidance on how Generative AI can be used to assist the creation of research software (among other things).AI2023-11-232023-11-23
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Netherlands eScience CenterSpecial conditions Netherlands eScience Center grantsNetherlandsThe Netherlands eScience Center adheres to the principle that academic research must be as open as possible. Results from publicly funded research are published Open Access, with all relevant data available as Open Data, and all software as Open Source software. Special grants terms and conditions for the projects awarded through the Netherlands eScience Center calls, covers rules on collaboration, publication, communication, and software/data release.Open source 2024
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Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)Open Source Policy v2.0 and publication NetherlandsThe goal of this policy is to provide the ASTRON organisation with the guidelines that support the openness of the software developed by employees of our institute. The main goal of this is to stimulate sharing of software and making citation possible. This is important from a perspective of open science, and making the software developed at ASTRON more visible to the outside world. See related article, Towards an open source policy by Y.G. Grange, T. Jürges, T.J. Dijkema, R. Halfwerk, G.W. SchoonderbeekAccessibility, citation20232022-08-23
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Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)Guidelines for policy for Open ScienceNorwayThis is an Open Science policy; however, under the licensing section (3.1), there are indications on how licensing should be conducted. Specifically software and source code, which mentions, for instance, that "NTNU-produced software should be licensed with the European Union Public Licence."Licensing2024-03-302023-10-09
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Politecnico di TorinoUniversity Policy on Research Data ManagementItalySoftware included as part of research data; supports the openness of scientific publications, data, and software.software management, licensing, FAIR2025
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Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact ResearchOpen Source and Open Data Policy GermanyThis policy supports publication of open source software developed at the institute, and covers open source licensing. open source software, licensing2025
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Qatar UniversityIntellectual Property Policy and ProceduresQatarSoftware included as copyrightable work.intellectual property2025
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Radboud University - Donders Institute NetworkPolicy for Research Data and Software ManagementNetherlandsThis policy covers research software management. various, including FAIR, SMPs, roles and responsibilities 2025
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Royal Holloway University LondonOpen Research policyUKOpen Research is identified as a practice that improves the quality, reproducibility and impact of research. Open Research enables access to research, namely publications, data and software. See allso the 11-step plan on implementation.Various2023NA
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Shizuoka University Intellectual Property Policy JapanCopyrights to works like source code generally belong to the individual creator, but works produced at the University’s request belong to the University unless released as public domain or open-source software.intellectual property2025
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Simon Fraser UniversityIntellectual Property Policy CanadaSoftware included as IP content.intellectual property 2025
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Stanford UniversityInventions, Patents, and Licensing | DoResearchUSAPursuant to section is 9.1.4, researchers at Stanford have the ability to bequeath their work to the public domain, including open sourcing their code under a license selected by the research team, without having to get permission in advance.Inventions, Patents, Licensing, tech transfer2024-06-14NA
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Tec de MonterreyIntellectual Property MexicoSoftware created under employment is subject to policy, with ownership and benefits split equally between the Institute and the inventors.intellectual property, ownership, royalties2025
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Technische Universität München (Technical University of Munich)Handreichung für die Veröffentlichung wissenschaftlicher Daten und Softwareprogramme (Guide for the publication of scientific data and software programs)GermanyThis document aims to guide the publication of scientific data and software programs. It emphasises open access and interdisciplinary cooperation to enhance visibility and reputation. It highlights the importance of selecting appropriate licenses for the reuse of research outputs (e.g. software), and mentions also, legal considerations to ensure third-party rights are not infringed.Licensing, Open-Source Software, Intellectual Property2024-03-302023-12
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TU DelftResearch Software PolicyNetherlandsFacilitates best-practices on research software management and sharing; emphasises the value of research software as a standalone research output and facilitates proper recognition of the contribution of TU Delft researchers to software, etc.
- best-practices on research software management and sharing, irrespective of whether the code is proprietary or open source.
- the value of research software as a standalone research output and facilitates proper recognition of the contribution of TU Delft researchers to software.
- high-level requirements for how software should be managed, the responsibilities of the different stakeholders involved in software development and describes the global workflows that facilitate sharing software openly.
See also the Research Software Guidelines.
Various20232021
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Universidad AustralGeneral Regulations on Intellectual PropertyArgentinaSoftware created during employment is owned by the University, must be disclosed for potential protection (including patents) under confidentiality obligations, and detailed records and forms must document authorship, dependencies, and registration.intellectual property, inventions 2025
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Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)Principles of free and open software at UNAM MexicoThe policy promotes technological innovation and research by encouraging the development and use of free and open-source software, with careful adherence to licensing and usage agreements.open source software, licensing2025
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Universidad de los AndesIntellectual Property Regulations Costa RicaInventions, including software, created at the University must be disclosed for royalty distribution, while the University retains exclusive copyright ownership of collective works, student works done on its behalf, and all software or databases produced by students or academics in their official capacity.intellectual property, royalties 2025
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Universidade de MinhoOpen Science PolicyPortugalEncourages researchers to share their code with an appropriate open source license; promote practices that guarantee the reproducibility of data analysis and all other code-dependent processes and software.open source software, licensing, reproducibility2025
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Universidad de ZaragozaOpen Science Policy SpainEncourages the use of free and open-source software in research and expects non-commercial code developed by its researchers to be shared under open-source licenses to promote verification, reuse, and collaboration.open source software, licensing, reuse2025
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Universidad HemisferiosIntellectual Property RegulationEcuadorAll software and databases created at UHE are the institution’s exclusive property, with creators required to assign rights and provide source code and documentation.intellectual property 2025
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Universidad PanamericanaIntellectual Property Policy and Incentives for Intellectual Property and Technology TransferMexicoIntellectual property includes software, defined as any original copyrighted computer program or source code that instructs a device to perform specific tasks or functions; financial incentives for software development intellectual property 2025
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Universidad Tecnologica de BolivarRegulation of Intellectual Property ColombiaThe University owns the rights to software and related works created under its contracts or by its academic community, requiring disclosure, registration, and transfer of source code and documentation to ensure institutional ownership and protection.intellectual property2025
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University College LondonIntellectual Policy PropertyUKEncourages the development of software for research and permits staff to release as open sourceLicensing2024-03-23NA
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University of BristolOpen Code Sub-Policy and Guidance UKProvides practical advice on how to enhance transparency, rigour, and reproducibility of research. To help researchers make their software open source, the university will provide guidance on code repositories, invest in providing institutional access to code respositories, and provide training on how to publish software.open source software, training2025
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University of CalgaryFaculty of Social Sciences Policy Guidelines Relative to Appointment, Increment, Promotion and TenureCanadaThese guidelines for appointment, promotion, tenure, and annual assessment include a mention to data and software as part of the promotion section.Career advancement2024-09-182005
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University of DundeeOpen Research Policy UKPromotes open access to research outputs, including software code; consideration of open sharing of research software; and use of a reputable specialist repository to ensure software can be shared to maximize its potential reuse and provide documentation. various open access, sharing, reuse, documentation 2025
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University of EdinburghResearch Data Management PolicyUKThis is a general research data management policy that covers software explicitly in the section titled FAIR data sharing. See also the Research Data Management Policy websiteFAIR2024-08-08NA
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University of Electro-CommunicationsCopyright Handling RegulationsJapanSoftware and other works created by staff using university resources, funding, or research contracts are considered “works related to the course of work” and fall under the university’s regulations on ownership and handling.intellectual property, use of university resources 2025
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University of Grenoble AlpesOpen Science Charter (in French)FranceThis recommends distribution for software of archiving research codes in Software Heritage, in conjunction with a HAL.codes notice. See also the master plan.Preservation2025-062022-12-01
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University of GroningenResearch Data Management Policy of the Faculty of Science and EngineeringNetherlandsThe "Special Considerations for data" section includes 4.3.1 Software as a data type. This includes requirements such as: If the software will be made Open, then the repository should contain the appropriate license and the citation file. A research software management plan (RSMP) should be developed as part of an RDMP. Date 2023Licensing, reuse20232022-10
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University of IllinoisOpen Source Licensing policyUSAThe Office of Technology Management supports faculty who are interested in releasing software via open source licensing.Licensing, reuse2023NA
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University of JohannesburgPolicy on the protection, management and commercial exploitation of intellectual propertySouth AfricaThe University holds copyright over software developed by employees or students in the course of their duties, requires disclosure and delivery of source code for IP protection, and seeks to negotiate copyright or licensing rights for software created by independent contractors.copyright2025
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University of MarylandDepartment of Psychology Procedures for Promotion to Associate Professor with TenureUSAIncludes that procedures should recognize the multitude of research products that people produce as
part of their research program (eg openly available
research tools and software).
Career advancement2024-09-18NA
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University of MelbourneAcademic SpecialistAustraliaThis role is one of four academic staff work categorisations, that includes the role of Research Software Engineers (RSEs).Roles and career advancement20232022-11
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University of MinnesotaReporting Inventions or Software Arising from ResearchUSAThis policy describes University employees’ and others’ duty to disclose the development of software and patentable inventions emanating from research activities and their right to release software under an Open-Source License.Licensing20232022-01
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University of North Texas (UNT)Open Source Software PolicyUSAFocuses on the use of, contribution to, and creation and release of Open Source Software in order to support open scholarship. Includes that the libraries encourages librarians and staff members to contribute to projects for the Open Source Software that they use.Licensing, contributions20232017-12-01
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University of PittsburghIntellectual Property Policy USSoftware developed during research belongs to the creator, with some exceptions (e.g., sponsored projects, university directed/supported)intellectual property 2025
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University of PretoriaIntellectual Property PolicySouth AfricaThe University promotes broad access to intellectual property, implicitly including software, through Creative Commons licenses, open-source software, and open research data, except where ethical or legal restrictions apply.intellectual property, licensing, open source software2025
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University of Rijeka (UNIRI) Open Science PolicyCroatiaThe policy encourages the storage and publication of source code generated from research
in publicly accessible repositories, preferably under an open license. Authors are encouraged to
publish complete, up-to-date and correct documentation of the code as a necessary prerequisite for compliance with the FAIR principles for software code.
Various2025-062025-03
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University of SharjaIntellectual Property ManagementUAESoftware is considered IP content.intellectual property 2025
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University of SheffieldUniversity statement on Open ResearchUKIncludes commitments to: Support training and development in best practice for computational literacy and reproducibility (e.g. by centralised provision of software experts (Research Software Engineers); and Recognise the equal value of non-traditional outputs (e.g. scholarly software, standards, datasets and tools), including in the hiring and promotion processes. Expectations of reserachers include: Transparent research methods - Share process and methods used in obtaining and evaluating research results, as appropriate to particular projects and disciplines (e.g. by publishing research software using best practice techniques for reproducibility, by preregistering protocols and analyses in advance of data collection when appropriate).
Various2023NA
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University of Strathclyde GlasgowResearch Data Management and Sharing Policy UKSoftware included as a research output and IP.software management, intellectual property 2025
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University of StuttgartHandling Research Software at the University of Stuttgart (In German)GermanyProposes measures for creating and funding new Research Software Engineering (RSE) positions, integrating existing positions, and attracting and nurturing suitable individuals. RSEs are individuals responsible for the design, organization, implementation, testing, documentation, and maintenance of research software. Institutional support for research software development is necessary due to the increasing importance of software in research and the requirements imposed by organizations such as the DFG (German Research Foundation).Roles and career advancement2023-05-16NA
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University of TwenteResearch Software PolicyNetherlandsUT's research software policy is designed to ensure the recognition of all research output and encourage open access across the board with FAIR principles—making both data and software Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Key features of the policy include:
- Open Access: Promoting transparency and enabling global collaboration.
- Recognition & Rewards: Acknowledging the research software as an output with appropriate incentives.
- Sustainability: Ensuring that UT research software remains functional in a wider ecosystem of open-source software.
FAIR, Roles and career advancement, sustainability2025-06-032024-11-25
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University of the Western CapeResearch Data Management Policy South AfricaSoftware included as part of research data; must be stored in secure environment, with metadata and documentation for discoverability and reuse; encourage making research software available.software management, reuse2025
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University of ZagrebOpen Science Policy CroatiaCovers open source code as a research output.FAIR, open source software2025
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Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamResearch Data and Software Management PolicyNetherlandsDescribes the university-wide principles for careful handling of research data and research software; provides guidance on FAIR principles; reuse; and compliance.various, including software management, roles and responsibilities, preservation, citation, FAIR, publication 2025
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