June 10, 2010
Entrepreneurial Education and Proof of Concept Funding Will Improve Technology Transfer, Subcommittee Hears
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Science Education held a hearing to review the process of transferring knowledge and technology from academic researchers to the private sector. Specifically, the Subcommittee examined the appropriate role of the National Science Foundation (NSF), beyond their support for basic research, including support for entrepreneurial education and proof of concept activities. In addition, the Subcommittee Members discussed the best practices, policies and activities needed to facilitate the commercialization of federally funded research to benefit society and strengthen the global competitiveness of the United States.
A significant part of the United States’ economic strength over the years has been attributed to investments in research and development (R&D). In fact, about half of the growth in our GDP since World War II is related to the development and adoption of new technologies. The success of our innovation model has been recognized globally and recently several countries have adapted their R&D activities to emulate our model.
“Let me begin by making one point clear: Our competitors have noticed how well our technology transfer system works, and many are trying to imitate it,” stated Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Lipinski (D-IL). “Countries like China and members of the European Union are now investing heavily in their own R&D programs. Combined business and government spending on R&D in China, for instance, has been increasing by almost 20 percent a year over the past decade, and China has already overtaken Japan as the number two publisher of scientific articles. They are determined to move up the value chain, and we need sustained investments and smart policies if we want to remain the world leader in science and technology.”
Today, the effectiveness of a university’s technology transfer activities are determined by a set of metrics which include: the number of patents issued, licenses offered, products released, and startup companies formed. Witnesses found that a more comprehensive set of metrics should be established to better determine the success of technology and knowledge transferred from colleges and universities.
“I am particularly excited about this topic because of my experience as a university professor and my recognition that America’s international competitiveness and economic growth will increasingly depend on successful technology transfer from the lab to the marketplace. At a time when we are increasingly asking the question ‘where will new American jobs come from?’, we need to be looking more closely at how we can best help our universities – filled with the world’s best researchers – continue to be economic engines that power America’s future,” said Lipinski. “Two weeks ago we took a big step forward when the House passed the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. This bill includes substantial new investments in basic and applied research, a skilled STEM workforce, the kind of public-private partnerships that facilitate technology transfer, and in research infrastructure.”
As the Committee with jurisdiction over NSF, Members examined the role of NSF in technology transfer. The agency generally promotes knowledge and technology transfer from universities to the private sector by increasing the number of university-industry partnerships and collaborators. Witnesses suggested NSF expand its efforts to promote technology transfer by providing proof of concept or gap funding to basic research results that show commercialization potential and by providing faculty, post docs, graduate students, and undergraduate students with the opportunity to build their entrepreneurial and business-related skills.
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