Mission Statement

Provide a focal point to gather together educational resources encompassing the wide impact of the first quarter-century of experience under the Bayh Dole Act of 1980 -- along with related U.S. technology transfer laws -- which served as a catalyst for American innovation, launched the biotechnology revolution and provided ongoing social, economic and other benefits for patients and for society as a whole;

Document the progress of the Bayh-Dole Act, how its promotion of commercialization for federally funded scientific research through licensing of patent rights allowed for mass improvements in U.S. productivity, employment and development of entirely new high-technology and biotechnology industries;

Identify core elements in the Bayh-Dole Act and related legislation for countries interested in promoting technology transfer and increasing opportunities for scientists in their home countries in the same way the United States has, and highlight areas of the law that would benefit from even more improvement through additional legislation or regulatory reform;

Provide input to relevant multilateral international economic institutions such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that might be considering related initiatives to promote private licensing of intellectual property rights in order to inspire economic development;

Seek opportunities for broader dialogue and education on issues relating to the Bayh-Dole Act, through briefings on Bayh-Dole developments for interested U.S. federal and/or state-level officials, as well as through seminars and other interactive events for journalists and the general public; and,

Commemorate the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Bayh-Dole Act in December 2005.