Merton and Ziman's modes of science: the case of biological and similar material transfer agreements

This paper makes a connection between recent studies on research materials exchange and its effect on the progress of science. Academia fears that scientific development could be hampered by the privatised practices of research material exchange. Since post-academic science represents a sufficient departure from the prior state of the knowledge production system as to open-science assumptions, this paper argues that the current use of Mertonian norms as a basic hypothesis can be considered inappropriate in the new privatised science firmament