Scientific American recently ran an article, Science 2.0 — Is Open Access Science the Future? Is posting raw results online, for all to see, a great tool or a great risk? It seems we will never run out of 2.0 topics but I think this one is a good thing. In a prior life I was a researcher in cognitive psychology and had to deal with the maze of information and many personal networks that have only grown since then. I recently spoke with Laura Butcher, Executive Director at the Hershey Center for Applied Research, where they are implementing this concept through their KnowledgeMesh™ platform.

Laura mentioned that, “The HCAR KnowledgeMesh will facilitate quality interactions between industry, academia, government, investors, workforce and support organizations that are located around the globe. Through the HCAR KnowledgeMesh, the research park will operate as a concierge to these critical business services and research resources thereby accelerating the growth and success of our resident and partner organizations.” The HCAR KnowledgeMesh was developed by Intelmarx, a software company that supports non-profit organizations and higher education institutions.

The Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR) is a non-profit research park that offers facilities and business and research resources. In addition to its wet and dry lab facilities and office space in a campus-like setting in Hershey, PA, HCAR provides access to research expertise, especially in the areas of research discovery, development and commercialization, as well as access to the nearby Penn State Medical Center and College of Medicine. The research areas include: life sciences, nanotechnology, “green” technologies, IT, and light manufacturing. Laura said they want to provide a nexus for innovation. The life sciences field is one area where enterprise 2.0 is catching on. More than half of life sciences executives (52%) have implemented enterprise 2.0 technology somewhere in their organization (AMR Research). The initial functionality of KnowledgeMesh includes support for on-line communities, ability to set up profiles for individuals and organizations, blogs, wikis, tagging, podcasts, search.

There is also the ability to create sub-communities that are either open or closed. Laura said they are looking to the membership for additional features. The KnowledgeMesh had only been up about a week when we talked. Laura was very pleased with large number of people setting up profiles so far. HCAR KnowledgeMesh also has a file repository for individual members. They can upload their resume, CV, photos, research papers and more. They can use the repository to share work with friends or use it as a virtual hard drive to store their information for access anywhere.

Returning to the Scientific American article, it comments, “A small but growing number of researchers (and not just the younger ones) have begun to carry out their work via the wide-open tools of Web 2.0. And although their efforts are still too scattered to be called a movement—yet—their experiences to date suggest that this kind of Web-based “Science 2.0” is not only more collegial than traditional science but considerably more productive.” Perhaps science can catch up to business here or they can learn from each other. Gartner appears to agree with Scientific American.