Government funding, collaboration with outside companies and IP. Looks like John Tromp was affiliated with CWI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrum_Wiskunde_%2

Government funding, collaboration with outside companies and IP. Looks like John Tromp was affiliated with CWI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrum_Wiskunde_%26_Informatica http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrum_Wiskunde_%26_Informatic...), which is funded by the Netherlands gov. Take a look at the "spin off companies" section in the wikipedia article. Often government funded research organisations turn some of their research into products to help fund themselves.