Building image

The power and promise of open science

How sharing knowledge accelerates innovation and advances discovery

By Jenny Burns

This video shows an Allen Institute researcher examining a tissue sample for experimentation.

Researcher pulling out cells from liquid nitrogen storage for research
We built a microscope that can image the whole brain…and then gave away the instructions for free. Why?

Open science means open for all.

Open science speeds discovery

In recent decades, fueled by increasing global collaborations and technological advancements including the internet and cloud computing, there has been a growing movement to remove paywalls and barriers to sharing scientific data and resources to accelerate research.

This movement is called: Open Science.  

Access for all

Open Science aims to make scientific resources available to everyone.

Often this includes sharing data, but it also applies to any other scientific resource including custom microscope designs, stem cell lines, machine learning algorithms, software, and more. 

An Immunology researcher at work in the lab at Allen Institute HQ.
Julian Reading, Ph.D.,a scientist at Allen Institute, prepares research materials in the laboratory.
High school students learning at the Allen Institute
High school students participating in a summer learning course at the Allen Institute
Ryan Shanahan Fellow
Shanahan Fellow, Ryan Raut (right) shares neuroscience data insights with colleague, Liz Dueweke (left).
Immunology researcher at Allen Institute processing blood samples
Peter Wittig, a researcher at Allen Institute, processes blood samples for immunology research.

Leading in open science

The Allen Institute has been a leader in open science since our founding in 2003.

Open science is core to our mission and all we do at the Allen Institute. We share our science – formatted, visualized, and published to enable usability – along with software, lab protocols, cell lines, and more.

More collaboration in science through open resources leads to faster discoveries, such as treatments for diseases. 

Authors

Published September 15, 2025
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