Bayh-Dole Bulletin: Edition 16

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

With the widespread media coverage of the Department of Commerce letter to Harvard University, the Bayh-Dole Act is receiving unprecedented national attention. That gives us both an opportunity and a challenge. Policymakers and the media are clamoring to learn about Bayh-Dole, and we need to make sure they get accurate information.

In this newsletter, you’ll see the testimonials from our 2025 American Innovator Award winners, who have improved lives here and around the world through their remarkable accomplishments due to Bayh-Dole. While we can offer facts and figures of the law’s achievements, there’s nothing like a compelling story to transmit our message — which is why we created the award. As you can also see, we are now accepting nominations for next year, so if you know someone who exemplifies the vision of Senators Bayh and Dole in crafting their law, please let us know.

We will soon be announcing some timely activities explaining why maintaining and upholding the Bayh-Dole Act is so important to our economic, national security, and overall well-being. When we say, “Thank you for your continued support,” we really mean it. All of our activities are based on the incredible contributions of our members. It’s because we rely on those with hands-on experience in commercialization, not theorists, that we’ve made such an impact.

These are challenging times, but we’re up to the task!

August Coalition Highlights

• Article: Federal Laboratory Consortium, “Former NIH OTT Director as a Face of American Innovation” (8/26)
• Backgrounder: Section by Section Analysis of the Bayh-Dole Act (8/25)
• Article: Bloomberg Law, “Trump’s Attack on Harvard’s Patents Hits at Decades-Old IP Model” (8/22)
• Article: STAT, “U.S. warning on use of ‘march-in’ rights against Harvard seems like distant threat for pharma” (8/14)
• Article: Law360, “What Attys Want To Know About Lutnick’s Harvard IP Threat” (8/13)
• Article: Inside Health Policy, “Watchdogs: Harvard Patent Probe Is Politically Motivated Amid Wider Disclosure Lapses” (8/12)
• Article: IAM, “Potential impact of US government march-in on Harvard’s patents” (8/12)
• Article: IPWatchdog, “Lutnick Warns Harvard of Plan to March In on Patents” (8/11)
• Statement: Bayh-Dole Coalition Releases Statement on Department of Commerce Investigation of Harvard’s Bayh-Dole Compliance (8/11)

Upcoming Events & Coalition Priorities

We’re excited to spotlight our new 2025 American Innovator Awardee testimonial videos! Each of their inspiring stories showcases the power of Bayh-Dole in action:

• Dr. Jennifer Pagán: Bayh-Dole’s Patent Pathway
• Vinit Nijhawan: From Lab to Launch
• Dr. James Dahlberg: A Bayh-Dole Story
• Dr Mark Rohrbaugh: Upholding Bayh-Dole
• Dr. Christina Wildfire: Sparking Sustainable Breakthroughs

These videos highlight the resilience, problem-solving, and lifelong dedication that drive every Bayh-Dole success. If you know someone whose story embodies this legacy, nominate them for our 2026 American Innovator Award! Nominees may include inventors, researchers, tech transfer professionals, industry partners, venture capitalists, licensing officials, public servants, or others who exemplify what makes the Bayh-Dole system work.

Submit your candidate here, and help spread the word by sharing the nomination form and videos widely!

Member Corner

We are thrilled to announce that our brand-new “Membership” tab is now live on our website! This resource brings together everything about Bayh-Dole membership in one place — featuring our current member organizations and individuals, outlining critical information for new members, and providing a direct link to our membership application.

These pages celebrate our supporters while showing prospective members the value of being part of our community. Check it out here!

Member Events

• From September 15-17, IPWatchdog will host its second-annual Women’s IP Forum, featuring an all-female group of speakers with varying levels of expertise discussing interesting and timely topics.
• From October 19-22, Licensing Executives Society (LES) US & Canada will host its 2025 Annual Meeting in Boston, MA! The program will feature keynotes, panel discussions, round tables, and workshops for anyone involved in IP and licensing — with a special emphasis on creating and using strategic partnerships for IP development and market growth.
• From October 27-29, IPWatchdog will host its fourth-annual Life Sciences Masters™ 2025 program! The event will focus on the intersection of intellectual property law and the biopharmaceutical industry, exploring the law, politics, and business of the life sciences.
• From November 17-19, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) will host its IP Conference in Palm Springs, CA! The event will be focused specifically on IP in biotechnology, featuring the latest insights from biotech IP experts, as well as networking events designed to promote discussion and foster relationships among industry colleagues.

If you are interested in becoming a member, please apply here — it’s free! If you are a member and your organization has an upcoming event, submit the information here to be featured in our newsletter and events calendar.

Member Spotlight

This month’s member spotlight is Mitchell Rosenfeld, Founder and Managing Director of EquIP Advisors! Mitch is an intellectual property (IP) strategist with over three decades of patent expertise. He is a seasoned dealmaker, representing diverse clients from Fortune 50 companies to startups, and has directly transacted hundreds of millions of dollars in IP assets. His career includes leadership roles in investment banking, notably as a Director in Houlihan Lokey’s Tech+IP group and founding the IP Advisory & Transaction practice at Stout before establishing EquIP Advisors. Recognized annually since 2011 by Intellectual Asset Management Magazine on their “IAM 300” and “IAM 1000” lists, Mitch was further honored as one of the Top 40 Market Makers of 2023 for his pivotal role in Quarterhill’s sale of WiLAN. The Bayh-Dole Coalition is proud to have Mitch as an engaged member and advocate of the Bayh-Dole Act.

“As a staunch supporter of the Bayh-Dole Act, I view this landmark legislation as one of the most effective tools in transforming early-stage research into real-world innovation. By empowering universities and national labs to license the discoveries of their faculty and researchers, Bayh-Dole not only accelerates technological advancement but also drives significant economic impact across the nation. Over three decades in the IP field, I’ve seen firsthand how this framework fuels innovation and entrepreneurship. It remains a cornerstone of America’s innovation engine, and preserving it is critical to our continued leadership on the global stage.” — Mitchell Rosenfeld, Founder & Managing Director, EquIP Advisors