Subcommittee Discusses Draft Technology Transfer Legislation
(Washington, DC) – Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a legislative hearing to examine a discussion draft of the Innovative Approaches to Technology Transfer Act of 2013. The draft bill would allocate a portion of the set-aside from the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program to create a program that provides funding for “innovative approaches to technology transfer at research institutions and federal laboratories.”
Ranking Member Dan Lipinski (D-IL) said in his opening statement, “Accelerating technology transfer from our universities and national labs has been one of my highest priorities since coming to Congress. I believe the potential for job creation emanating from research being performed at these institutions is immense…However, the path from the lab to a successful business is anything but straightforward. It depends on an integrated network of private companies, scientists, and engineers, universities, venture capitalists, startups, and entrepreneurs.”
Witnesses and Democratic Members discussed a number of areas related to the legislation including, where federal investment would be most effective; what major barriers to technology transfer the federal government can help to overcome; and the importance of proof concept funding, entrepreneurial education, mentoring programs and outside advisory boards to accelerating the commercialization of federally-funded research.
Witnesses and Democratic Members were generally supportive of the legislation.
“The draft bill language is similar to an amendment I sponsored two years ago to the Creating Jobs Through Small Business Innovation Act of 2011. My amendment was incorporated into the SBIR/STTR reauthorization with bipartisan support and allowed for a Proof of Concept Pilot Program at the National Institutes of Health…At a time when we struggle with job creation and a fast-changing global economy, we need to be looking more closely at how we can best help our universities and national labs - filled with the world’s best researchers - be even better economic engines…” said Mr. Lipinski. “I believe this legislation has the potential to improve our return on investment in research.”
Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said, “The federal government has a great stake in the nation getting a return on the investments we make, and we need to know what we can do that would be helpful to the academic community and startups in improving technology transfer. This draft legislation has the potential to improve technology transfer and I hope that the final version can reflect good ideas from both sides of the aisle.”
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