The production of software, in the field of experimental physics and in support of computer services is a major outcome of the IT department. Several software packages developed by IT department are made available to third parties under  well defined conditions.

Software made available to third parties is called in this context  "External" software  (also sometimes called “published” software). The software may be published in one of two different forms and follow different modes of licensing.

·         Form: Binary and Source
Software made available to external bodies by IT Department is either in binary-only  form or in  source form (in the latter case, binary is generally also provided).

·         Mode: Bilateral Collaboration Agreements
Both binary and source programs can be made available through Bilateral Agreement (called at CERN “Collaboration Agreements”). IT Department uses this mode is several specific cases 

·         Mode: Source code made available as “open source”
The most frequent way for IT to make software available to external bodies is based on Open Source principles

·         Mode: Binary-only  code made publicly available
In several specific cases, IT binary-only  code is made also made available to the third parties.

* The openlab and the EU-funded projects are collaborative undertakings which are not not per-se a Technology Transfer activities

IT department software made available to third parties is provided on an as-is basis, that is with no support from CERN,  unless explicitly agreed through specific agreement.