Bayh-Dole Bulletin: Edition 12

Welcome to the Bayh-Dole Bulletin, a monthly newsletter from the Bayh-Dole Coalition. The Bayh-Dole Coalition is a diverse group of innovation-oriented organizations and individuals committed to celebrating and protecting the Bayh-Dole Act, as well as informing policymakers and the public of its many benefits.

About the Bayh-Dole Coalition

A Word From Our Executive Director

Tomorrow we celebrate “World Intellectual Property Day,” which is particularly significant to the Bayh-Dole Coalition. It was the insertion of the incentives of our patent system through the Bayh-Dole Act into federally-funded R&D — coupled with the Supreme Court’s ruling that human made microorganisms could be patented and the creation of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which reassured entrepreneurs that the patent laws would be applied uniformly across the nation — that helped ignite the greatest explosion of innovation in history.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Vannevar Bush’s visionary report to President Roosevelt, Science: The Endless Frontier, recommending that the government fund basic research. This is also the 45th anniversary of the Bayh-Dole Act, which turned that public investment into new jobs, products, and even new industries that restored American leadership when many predicted it had been permanently lost.

Soon, we will release our 2025 “Faces of American Innovation” report and American Innovator Award winners, whose stories capture the determination, sacrifice, and vision that drive our system. On May 1, we will hold an important webinar on the role government-supported R&D plays in economic development and national security, now the subject of intense debate. One of our themes is showing how supporting a strong, dependable patent system — coupled with maintaining our cutting-edge academic and federal research centers, utilizing the authorities of Bayh-Dole — should be a bipartisan issue if we want to continue to prosper in the 21st Century.

The stakes are high, but now is the time to boldly make our case.

April Coalition Highlights

• Press Release: Bayh-Dole Coalition Celebrates Musical Innovation on World IP Day (4/25)
• Press Release: Bayh-Dole Coalition Renews Call for Deregulation in Letter to Director Vought (4/24)
• Letter: Bayh-Dole Coalition Letter to the Office of Management and Budget RE: Recent Call for Deregulation (4/24)
• Article: InsideHealthPolicy, “Rules Could Vanish As Soon As Saturday With No Public Notice” (4/17)
• Newsletter: NIH Tech Transfer Newsletter, “Faces of American Innovation Award Ceremony” (4/15)
• Article: Inside Drug Pricing, “Anti-Reg EO Puts Biden-Era NIH ‘Patient Access’ Plan In Crosshairs” (4/14)
• Press Release: Bayh-Dole Coalition Supports President Trump’s Renewed Commitment to Scientific Progress and Innovation (4/4)
• Letter: Bayh-Dole Coalition Letter to President Trump RE: Science the Endless Frontier (4/3)
• Video: Federal News Network, “A new look at Biden-era rules for the National Science Foundation” (4/1)

Upcoming Events & Coalition Priorities

On Thursday, May 1, the Bayh-Dole Coalition will host a timely webinar examining a critical question: Should the federal government fund basic research? 

Moderated by Bayh-Dole Coalition Executive Director Joseph P. Allen, the conversation will feature a panel of distinguished experts including:

• Laura Peter, Executive Director of the Office of Research and Commercialization at UNC Charlotte
• Vinit Nijhawan, Managing Director of MassVentures
• Brian O’Shaughnessy, Board Chair of the Bayh-Dole Coalition

Eighty years after Vannevar Bush recommended to President Roosevelt that the U.S. government should fund basic research in our universities and federal laboratories, questions are being asked about the benefits of this investment — particularly at a time when our nation faces crippling deficits.

Our program will discuss the impact of Vannevar Bush’s recommendations and whether his vision holds true today. We’ll consider what role the government should play in funding research in the 21st Century and what return on investment hard-pressed taxpayers should expect as a result. RSVP here!

We are quickly approaching our 2025 Faces of American Innovation events, which are taking place on June 4-5 in Washington, D.C. We are excited to announce that on June 4, we will hear remarks from Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-02) and have a Q&A with the congresswoman.

On June 4, we will honor our 2025 American Innovator Award recipients with a ceremony and celebrate Bayh-Dole’s 45th anniversary at the Royal Sonesta Capitol Hill. We will also have virtual remarks from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). On June 5, we will host a briefing for the 2025 “Faces of American Innovation” report in the Senate Visitors Center, Room SVC 203-02.

If you haven’t already, please RSVP here by May 22 — and share the link far and wide amongst your network!

The morning programming for each day will be open to the public. The afternoon programming will be exclusive to Bayh-Dole Coalition members — if you are interested in becoming a member and having access to these exclusive portions, apply here.

World Intellectual Property Day

Recognized on April 26, the 25th annual World Intellectual Property Day celebrates the vital role IP plays in driving creativity, innovation, and economic growth. This year’s theme, “IP and Music,” spotlights how IP protections support artists, composers, and the broader music industry — from recording studios to streaming services — by ensuring their work is safeguarded and incentivized.

The Bayh-Dole Act is a prime example of strong IP policy. Though often linked to fields like medicine and energy, Bayh-Dole has also paved the way for innovations in music technology, including AI tools and digital audio systems. As laws like this continue to empower creators, defending our robust IP system remains essential to sustaining progress and artistic expression.

You can see our World IP Day press release here. Thank you for celebrating with us!

Member Corner

• TechPipeline, a market research firm partnering with the Tech Transfer and Corporate Engagement community to inform critical decisions facing innovation professionals.

• On April 30, from 4:00-7:00 PM ET, Licensing Executives Society and other organizations will have their 2025 World IP Day Celebration on Capitol Hill. This annual international event is an opportunity to learn about how IP rights encourage innovation and creativity, featuring remarks from Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), USPTO Acting Director Coke M. Stewart, and the Honorable Shira Perlmutter.
• On May 20, from 12:00-1:00 PM ET, AUTM will host a virtual watercooler, “Major Milestones and Transitions Throughout AUTM’s History,” exploring the origins and evolution of technology transfer while focusing on the pivotal role AUTM has played in shaping the field over the past 50 years.

Member Spotlight

This month’s member spotlight is Dr. Dennis Liotta, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Chemistry at Emory University! Dr. Liotta received the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s 2023 American Innovator Award for his work on “emtricitabine” — a groundbreaking drug that has transformed HIV/AIDS from a death sentence to a manageable illness, saving tens of millions of lives worldwide. He joined Emory University in 1976, serving as chemistry department chair (1993-1996) and vice president for research (1996-2000). A leading therapeutic innovator, Dr. Liotta holds over 120 U.S. patents, has contributed to 18 FDA-approved antiviral therapies — including emtricitabine — and has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed papers. He also received the 2022 Perkin Medal and was inducted into the Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame in 2010. Dr. Liotta facilitated over 30 licensing deals at Emory, whose tech transfer office recently celebrated 40 years of innovation. The Coalition is proud to have Dr. Liotta and Emory University as members.

“As we celebrate World IP Day, it is critical we remember the role intellectual property plays in transforming early-stage discoveries into real-world solutions. Thanks to the Bayh-Dole Act, universities are able to maintain patent rights to the work of their researchers and then enter public-private partnerships for commercialization. Without this system, my discoveries like emtricitabine and lamivudine, two breakthrough HIV/AIDS therapies, and more would likely have wasted away on the shelf and millions of patients worldwide would have paid the price. We must continue to preserve and protect Bayh-Dole and IP rights which drive domestic innovation and save lives.” — Dr. Dennis Liotta, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Chemistry, Emory University