24 Apr Bayh-Dole Coalition Renews Call for Deregulation in Letter to Director Vought
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 24, 2025) — Today, the Bayh-Dole Coalition sent a letter to White House Office of Management and Budget Director, Russell Vought, calling attention to unlawful agency-level initiatives that undermine federal law and threaten American innovation.
The letter responds to President Trump’s recent memorandum, “Directing the Repeal of Unlawful Regulations,” and the Office of Management and Budget’s Request for Information seeking input on regulations to rescind. The memorandum directs all federal agencies to identify and eliminate regulations that exceed their statutory authority.
“In light of President Trump’s directive to repeal unlawful regulations, now is the time to address five agency actions that directly contravene the Bayh-Dole Act,” said Joseph P. Allen, executive director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition. “These measures not only violate the law — they jeopardize the future of American innovation, threaten billions in public investment, and empower foreign adversaries.”
In the letter, the Coalition highlights concerns over five agency-level initiatives that jeopardize the Bayh-Dole framework and stifle the commercialization of federally funded research:
- The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy mandating that any inventions supported by its funding be made publicly available, including to foreign competitors.
- The National Institutes of Health requiring industry licensees to submit continuous and burdensome access planning reports on their commercialization plans.
- The National Science Foundation proposing a mandate on how university inventions must be licensed.
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology proposing a radical reinterpretation of the Bayh-Dole Act’s march-in framework.
- The Department of Energy mandating strict manufacturing requirements for all inventions developed with taxpayer funding through its Science and Energy Programs.
“The Bayh-Dole Act remains the bedrock of America’s technology leadership,” Allen concluded. “Now is the moment to defend it.”
About the Bayh-Dole Coalition: The Bayh-Dole Coalition is a 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.
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