Stanford has an open environment, where free exchange of ideas and information among colleagues is an essential and long standing practice. As such, University policy mandates that no program or research that requires secrecy may be conducted at Stanford. At the same time, Stanford understands that a company may need to keep its own technical and business information confidential, and thus will agree to limited confidentiality terms. Stanford does not sign separate confidentiality agreements that bind a Principal Investigator and co-researchers who have access to the confidential information. However, the Industrial Contracts Office will review these agreements and advise the Principal Investigator on the terms of the agreement. Stanford's policy on Openness in Research can be found online.