Enhancing University-Industry R&D Partnerships

Post-World War II era U.S. science, technology, and innovation policy has been defined by a linear approach to public investment in basic research. For many decades, this worked because the U.S. was one of the few countries with the technological capabilities to translate research into new products and services. But in today’s intensely competitive global economy where nations are fiercely competing for innovation advantage, this paradigm is no longer tenable. Robust public investments in basic research remain critical, but equally as important are investments and institutional reforms to commercialize new ideas from the laboratory into the marketplace.

To advance the debate on potential policy reforms, the House Technology Transfer Caucus, Co-Chairs Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, and Innovation Associates are convening a series of Capitol Hill briefings featuring leading experts in innovation policy.

The third and final event in this series will investigate avenues to strengthen University-Industry R&D Partnerships. While the United States leads the world in transitioning university research into new products, services, and start-up companies vital to our economy, a significant share of university research continues to languish in academic laboratories rather than progress to commercial markets. Addressing roadblocks will be crucial to spurring innovation and economic development moving forward. This panel discussion will examine university-industry partnership best practices as well as potential policy issues, such as intellectual property, university invention management, and the federal role in university technology transfer.