Collaboration Agreements

All E3SM code (both model releases and development versions) is open source and doesn’t require a collaboration agreement to use. Help running the model is only provided for unedited code from major code releases running select compsets on supported DOE supercomputers. See E3SM Releases for supported model versions.

Data from all major simulation campaigns is made publicly available after the first E3SM paper using it is submitted for publication. Using this publicly available data also doesn’t require a collaboration agreement. See E3SM Output for a list of currently-available data.

As described in E3SM’s Policies Page, collaboration agreements are needed for:

• access to E3SM data before its public release
• Collaboration with E3SM staff on developmental code versions or uncompleted simulations

The goal of the collaboration request process is to allow E3SM to share its intellectual property while avoiding the potential for miscommunication and subsequent conflict. In particular, collaboration agreements ensure E3SM staff become coauthors on work they enable and that the reference citation for a new E3SM model version or simulation is led by E3SM authors. To support this second goal, submission of collaborative research to a journal is generally prohibited until the E3SM paper referencing that work is submitted. Collaboration agreements are also important for ensuring research is optimally coordinated rather than duplicative.

To submit a collaboration request, fill out the E3SM_Collaboration_Request_Template and submit it by email to the E3SM Executive Committee (EC) (e3sm-exec@llnl.gov). The EC will review the proposed agreement and may suggest changes before forwarding it to the entire E3SM Council for concurrence. Possible outcomes are rejection, suggestions for further changes, or approval. The EC will typically inform the requestor of the outcome within  3 weeks of submission.