Technology Transfer
Technology transfer is the movement of inventions, methods, and know-how from the people who create them to the people who can use them. In government it often means moving discoveries from federal laboratories and federally funded universities to private companies. Laws such as the Bayh-Dole Act, agencies, and courts shape how it works.
People usually bring questions about who owns an invention that public money helped pay for. They ask how licenses are granted, when the government can claim rights, and how technology and know-how are shared with industry, other agencies, and foreign partners.
An independent team explaining how government works
Referenced by Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill and USA Today.
The Webby-recognized AI behind our articles »
All Articles on Technology Transfer
How a South Korean Shipbuilder Plans to Revive American Shipbuilding
The United States possesses the world's most powerful navy, yet it faces a profound industrial crisis. The domestic shipbuilding capacity that forged its fleet…
When the Government Can Take Your Federally Funded Invention: A Guide to Bayh-Dole Act Rights
Every year, the U.S. government pours tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into research at universities, nonprofit institutes, and small businesses across the country.…