Cambridge Flow Solutions - BoXeR

Licensing - The Development Partnership

Summary
BoXeR is licensed through a 'Development Partnership'.

How it works - see below

A Development Partnership is a mechanism for obtaining a customised version of a CFS product. The result is significantly more cost effective than developing an in-house alternative but nevertheless heavily customised compared to generic COTS. It allows the client an inside track on CFS technical development, and access to turnkey CFD development resources.

'Customised-Off-The-Shelf'
The CFS development team works closely with each of our partners. At the start of each year, the partner sets out new requirements and CFS directs product development to meet them. The team is on hand to support any additional short term requirements and regular updates are made available. Working with a range of partners allows CFS to share the development burden. Consequently, the partnership creates software far more cost effectively than bespoke code.

Partners have found that not only do they gain the technological capabilities they require to develop competitive products, but their exposure to the full spectrum of CFD technology through CFS enhances their overall CFD strategy.

Licensing
The partners enjoy free binary licences for the duration of their participation. In addition, CFS agrees to freeze licence fees at the start of the development partnership, for the duration and an additional 2 years subsequent to this. Additional client safeguards can be negotiated on request.

Cost Effective Development
An appropriate Steering Group will be formed consisting of all development partners, the CFS development team, and other leading experts from academia and industry. The latter will serve as advisors of industry best practice to complement CFS expertise. CFS will present options and strategies to the development partners from which the preferred technical direction will evolve. It is up to CFS to follow this mandate as closely as possible to create the tools the partners require.

Development to the Core Product
Work Within the Partnership
Membership entitles participating organisations to CFS development time at a preferential rate for work which contributes to the core product offering. The technology continues to be owned and licensed by CFS. Additional support and training work outside of the scope of this project is also charged at the preferential rate.

Bespoke Development
Work Outside the Partnership
If in the future a member wishes to retain some of the IP, or where the work does not relate to the product, this type of work will be handled independently to the partnership and charged at our standard rate.

Getting Started
Development partnerships already exist for BoXeR. We are happy to discuss partnerships for other CFS technologies and products. The preferred method for setting up a partnership is through a pilot project. This allows CFS to demonstrate the strength of both the partnership relationship and of the technology.