Congress should fund a pilot program supporting experimental approaches to technology transfer and commercialization, and the administration should require labs to collect metrics, identify barriers, and hold labs accountable. 

To Do: Support Experimental Approaches to Tech Transfer and Commercialization

Congress should allocate a share of federal research funding to promote technology transfer and commercialization, such as through a “Spurring Commercialization of Our Nation’s Research” program.

Partly Done: Allocate a Share of Federal Research Funding to Tech Transfer and Commercialization

While the U.S. government should expand federal support for scientific research, it also should improve the efficiency with which federally funded knowledge creation leads to innovation and jobs.

Comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Regarding Federal Technology Transfer Authorities and Processes

A new report highlights substantial patent outputs of federal agencies.

Study of Patents Shows Importance of Fed-Funded Research

Congress should hold the National Labs to stronger performance standards for tech transfer to firms in the United States.

To Do: Hold the National Labs Accountable for Tech Transfer

Congress should direct NSF to establish stronger university entrepreneurship metrics and use them to provide stronger incentives for commercializing research.

To Do: Direct NSF to Establish Stronger University Entrepreneurship Metrics

Congress should appropriate funds to modernize and expand federal statistical agencies’ IT systems.

To Do: Modernize IT Systems for Federal Statistical Agencies

Congress should allow a greater share of SBIR and STTR grant awards to be used for commercialization activities ranging from intellectual-property development and prosecution to marketing and staff recruitment.

To Do: Allow More SBIR and STTR Awards to Be Used for Commercialization

Congress should pass the Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act mandating NSF to support research into privacy-enhancing technologies and directing OSTP to coordinate efforts with other federal agencies to accelerate the technologies’ development, deployment, and adoption.

To Do: Require Federal Research Agencies to Report Five Years of Data on Patent Licenses and Royalties

Recommendation

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To Do: Support Experimental Approaches to Tech Transfer and Commercialization

Partly Done: Allocate a Share of Federal Research Funding to Tech Transfer and Commercialization

Comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Regarding Federal Technology Transfer Authorities and Processes