Wu Leads Look into Future of Universities & Tech Transfer
(Washington, DC) – More than 25 years since Congress passed the Bayh-Dole Act, Members of the Science & Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Technology & Innovation took a look at the history and future of the law that allows universities to patent inventions that stem from federally funded research and development.
Subcommittee Chair David Wu (D-OR) led today’s hearing, the subcommittee’s first this Congress on the topic of technology transfer.
The Bayh-Dole Act, PL 96-517, Amendments to the Patent and Trademark Act of 1980, was motivated by a number of concerns in the 1970’s. They include a lack of federally funded research inventions transitioning into commercial products and services and the lack of uniform patent policy for federally funded research in the U.S.
“The U.S. economy was in a recession, productivity was declining and the U.S. faced growing competition internationally from Germany and Japan,” said Wu. “Promoting university-based innovation and technology transfer to industry was seen as an important policy lever to counter these developments. It still is today as we face greater global competition.”
Today’s hearing focused on assessing how Bayh-Dole is being implemented from the perspectives of universities and industries. The Subcommittee also heard recommendations on how its implementation can be improved in the future.
Specifically, Members considered:
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The impact of Bayh-Dole on federally-funded university research, tech transfer and commercialization;
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How its implementation has shaped research collaboration between university and industry;
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Possible effects of the increased globalization of research;
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And how has the law promoted or, even, hindered innovation.
“A part of the dissemination [of new knowledge] mission is to provide the information, whether it is in the form of education or in the form of technology transfer, to those who can best utilize it for the public benefit. Prior to Bayh-Dole, this was primarily in the form of publications, and as we now know, it takes more,” said Arundeep S. Pradhan, Director of Technology and Research Collaborations at Oregon Health & Science University and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). “I believe that the Bayh-Dole Act will continue to be a catalyst for innovation in the U.S. economy for the next twenty-five years as well.”
Mr. Pradhan was one of five witnesses to testify today. The others were Dr. Susan Butts, Senior Director of External Science and Technology Programs, Dow Chemical Company; Mr. Wayne C. Johnson, Vice-President, Worldwide University Relations, Hewlett-Packard; Dr. Mark A. Lemley, Professor of Law, Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science & Technology; and Dr. Mark G. Allen, Professor, Electrical and Computing Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, CardioMEMS, Inc.
The Subcommittee intends to further examine this topic with future hearings.
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