How does the research performed in the open component of the EBI differ from that undertaken in the proprietary component?
A. The proprietary component will be staffed by BP employees, its consultants and agents and will conduct private, confidential and proprietary research, the product of which will be the sole property of BP. Proprietary labs will be situated adjacent to open academic labs to allow a dialogue between researchers and BP personnel that will help produce research that advances the EBI mission, which is to find a strategy for developing biofuels that are economically feasible and beneficial to society. Proprietary labs, however, will be physically separate with controlled access. Research in UC Berkeley, UIUC or Berkeley Lab space and research conducted by personnel of these academic partners will be subject to the respective institutions’ normal academic policies and practices.
