FAQ answers
What is your main motivation for changing your licensing policy?
The new licensing strategy has been developed to grow the COSMIC project to better encompass the range of genetic abnormalities underlying cancer and to make these better available, integrated and analysable.
How much will a license for COSMIC cost my organisation annually?
Commercial organisations will be required to pay a fee for downloading the database. The fee charged will depend on the organisation’s size and how the organisation uses COSMIC. Additional fees may apply if an organisation requires distribution rights to pass the database on as part of a product. The license fee and structure are set at a level to facilitate adoption and were devised after seeking early feedback from industry. License fees are waived for industrial collaborators who are working closely with us toward mutual developments.
If you require more information about collaborating with us, or the commercial license fee and structure please contact:
cosmic-translation.
What’s the difference between looking at the data on the website and what you get when you download the data?
The website visualises a set of high-value information, providing a pre-defined series of analytical tools. The download files include more extensive annotations across all datasets, available for exploration in any custom analysis.
Will I be able to publish research, results and analysis obtained from using COSMIC?
Yes, we are very keen to support the publication of studies involving COSMIC. We request that COSMIC is cited and we require that the broad data files are not distributed. Ensuring the Sanger Institute remains the distribution hub allows us to maximise the quality of data that everybody sees.
What kinds of bespoke services are you offering to commercial users?
We will soon offer a range of custom services across COSMIC and its wider bioinformatic environment, using the expertise we have developed to support wider research. These custom services may range from literature curations of bespoke targets, to re-evaluation of COSMIC datasets and integrated analytics combining other resources.
Please contact us if you would like any further information about bespoke services:
cosmic. Has the Wellcome Trust reduced the amount of funding it is giving to COSMIC?
No. Our funding from the Sanger Institute is still consistent. The future of cancer genetics holds many exciting prospects, and our new commercial approach is designed to allow us to engage more strongly, providing enhanced support in cancer genomics research.
What if our commercial organisation works with academia? Are we exempt?
Only commercial users that collaborate directly with the COSMIC team and are partners in its development are exempt from fees.
If your organisation is interested in working collaboratively with COSMIC, please contact:
cosmic-translation.
I am an academic researcher and regularly download COSMIC. In practise, what will change for me?
Very little will change for academic researchers; they will still have access to all releases for free but they will be asked to agree to academic use license terms, including provisions preventing further distribution of the database.
I am a researcher in industry and regularly download COSMIC for our internal Research and Development use. In practise, what will change for me?
Ahead of downloading COSMIC files, commercial organisations will need to sign a license agreement with the Sanger Institute, which includes an annual fee.
To obtain a license and for further information, please contact:
cosmic-translation.