Bayh-Dole Coalition Urges President Trump to Support the Bayh-Dole Act

Bayh-Dole Coalition Urges President Trump to Support the Bayh-Dole Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 27, 2025) — The Bayh-Dole Coalition has sent a letter to President Donald Trump congratulating him on his historic return to the White House and urging his administration to protect and strengthen the Bayh-Dole Act.

“We look forward to working with President Trump and his team to unleash breakthrough American innovation and usher in a golden age of U.S. economic growth,” said Joseph P. Allen, executive director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition. “For nearly 45 years, the Bayh-Dole Act has been the backbone of public-private collaboration, contributing up to $1.9 trillion to the economy and supporting over six million jobs. Protecting it is crucial to keeping America safe, prosperous, and competitive.”

Since its passage in 1980, the Bayh-Dole Act has transformed federally funded research into groundbreaking technologies ranging from life-saving medicines to renewable energy solutions. By enabling U.S. universities, small businesses, government laboratories, and nonprofits to license their discoveries to private companies, the Act has bridged the gap between early-stage research and practical application.

The coalition’s letter highlights specific steps the Trump administration can take to maximize Bayh-Dole’s impact, including rolling back harmful policy changes proposed during the Biden administration.

“The previous administration proposed a disastrous policy undermining the law by creating Washington bureaucratic micromanagement of the commercialization process, thus threatening American innovation at the time we need it the most,” Allen said. “We urge President Trump to reject these policies and instead reaffirm the intellectual property guarantees that help bring promising technologies from the lab to the marketplace.”

The letter stressed that with robust support and steady leadership from the Trump administration, the Bayh-Dole Act can continue to drive American ingenuity, create millions of new good-paying jobs, and ensure the United States remains a global leader in emerging technologies.

“Bayh-Dole has stood the test of time,” Allen said. “Strengthening it now will ensure America stays ahead in the 21st-century race for global technological and economic leadership.”

About 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.

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