It is difficult to precisely define "precompetitive" and to provide unerring discriminators for various types of research work. In general, precompetitive research can be thought of as work where companies are not adverse to their competitors having equal access to the results. Following are instances of precompetitive and not precompetitive work (the more elements that apply, the stronger the case):

Precompetitive is:

• Work that overcomes basic obstacles that prevent a technology from being used in commercial applications


• Work to understand the characteristics of new technologies or materials


• Work that is aimed not at producing products, but rather at providing the tools, information, and data that enables others to develop future products and services


• Work that competitors are willing to support on a collaborative basis with results shared beyond the sponsors


• Work that offers equal benefit to all competitors


• Work that industry is willing to have fully published


• Work that has a high cost, or has a high risk of failure, such that individual companies cannot undertake the research


• Work on something no one knows how to do


• Work to develop industry standards and test procedures where no precedents exist