When I picture an “inventor”, I see a moustachioed fella, tinkering away under lamplight in a dank Victorian-era basement. When I think of “innovation”, it brings to mind small groups of head-scratchers in Silicon Valley computer labs and west-coast university incubators. They are toiling to bring something new to the world and many of their inventions will help people live better lives—but that isn’t necessarily why they do it.
Nonprofit organizations and talented philanthropists also have a rich history of invention and innovation, oft overshadowed by the hubris and marketing budgets of for-profit invention. Here are 8 nonprofit inventions you benefit from every day.
1. The Internet
Surely the most ubiquitous nonprofit invention, the internet was the product of university computer programmers in the mid-1960s, a method of transmitting information between computers over a distance. What we now know as “the internets” used to be called the World Wide Web and has been attributed to software engineer Tim Berners-Lee in 1985. He was working at the particle physics lab CERN, possibly best known as the home of the Large Hadron Collider, which smashes particle beams together at breakneck speeds in what must be the coolest demolition derby the world has ever seen.
What’s interesting about this communications technology is that it was built deliberately as a non-commercial, egalitarian network. National infrastructure was limited to research and education uses as recently as 1988, and the original vision was to create a decentralized system that would democratize access to information.
2. The Polio Vaccine
Perhaps no nonprofit invention has saved more lives than Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine, developed in the early 1950s. When asked who owned the patent, Salk famously replied, “Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?” His decision to forgo patenting the vaccine was driven by his belief that it should be available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. The vaccine not only protected millions from a devastating disease but also demonstrated how powerful medical breakthroughs could emerge from institutions focused on public good rather than private profit.
3. Touch Screens
Every time you swipe your smartphone or tap your tablet, you’re using technology that emerged from the nonprofit world. In 1972, CERN engineers Frank Beck and Bent Stumpe developed the first capacitive touch screen for controlling the lab’s new Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator. Their 16-page handwritten proposal described what was apparently the world’s first capacitive touch screen—a technology now so ubiquitous we take it for granted. The engineers weren’t trying to revolutionize consumer electronics; they simply needed a better way to interact with complex particle accelerator data.
4. DDT Alternatives
When Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring sounded the alarm about DDT’s environmental damage in the 1960s, nonprofit research institutions and environmental organizations led the charge to develop safer alternatives. University labs and environmental nonprofits worked to create targeted pest control methods that could protect crops and public health without devastating ecosystems. These efforts produced integrated pest management systems and biological controls that are still used today, proving that innovation driven by environmental consciousness rather than profit maximization could solve complex problems.
5. X-Ray Protection
The development of lead aprons and other protective equipment for medical X-ray procedures came largely from nonprofit medical institutions and universities concerned about radiation exposure. These organizations recognized the health risks to both patients and medical workers long before commercial interests prioritized safety equipment. Their research and development efforts established the safety standards we now take for granted in medical imaging.
6. Nuclear Medicine
Marie Curie’s groundbreaking work on radioactivity was conducted at universities and nonprofit research institutions and her discoveries laid the foundation for modern nuclear medicine. Despite the commercial potential of her research, Curie refused to profit from it, believing that scientific knowledge should benefit all humanity. Her work at the Radium Institute in Paris, a nonprofit research center, led to treatments for cancer and other diseases that have saved countless lives.
7. Creative Commons
In the digital age, the Creative Commons licensing system has revolutionized how creative works are shared and built upon. Founded as a nonprofit organization in 2001, Creative Commons created a legal framework that allows creators to share their work while maintaining some rights. This system has enabled everything from educational resources to artistic collaborations, proving that innovation in legal and social systems can be just as transformative as technological breakthroughs.
8. Wikipedia
The world’s largest encyclopedia emerged not from a publishing house but from a nonprofit foundation dedicated to free knowledge. Wikipedia’s collaborative model has created an information resource that surpasses traditional encyclopedias in both scope and accessibility. The Wikimedia Foundation’s commitment to keeping this knowledge free and open has made it an indispensable tool for students, researchers, and curious minds worldwide.
The Patent Paradox
Of course, there are many more inventions that their creators would have liked to remain free but felt forced to patent to protect the people they were trying to serve. The patent system, originally designed to encourage innovation by granting temporary monopolies, sometimes creates barriers to the very progress it was meant to foster. Many nonprofit inventors face a difficult choice: patent their innovations to prevent exploitation, or keep them freely available and risk having others profit from their altruism.
What Should Nonprofit Inventors Do?
The challenge for today’s nonprofit inventors is navigating a world where intellectual property law and market forces often conflict with their mission-driven goals. Some organizations are pioneering new models, like patent pledges that commit to using intellectual property only for defensive purposes, or open-source development models that ensure innovations remain freely available.
The history of nonprofit invention reminds us that some of humanity’s greatest advances have come from people and organizations motivated not by profit, but by a genuine desire to solve problems and improve lives. These innovations often become so embedded in our daily routines that we forget their origins in laboratories, universities, and research centers where the primary currency was curiosity rather than cash.
The next time you use the internet, get a vaccination, or tap your phone screen, remember that you’re benefiting from the work of people who chose to share their innovations with the world. In an age of proprietary technology and patent wars, their example offers a compelling alternative vision of how innovation can serve humanity’s broader interests.
lyndalcairns.com 