The Bayh Dole Bulletin | Edition 22
Bayh-Dole Bulletin: Edition 22
Welcome to the Bayh-Dole Bulletin, a monthly newsletter from 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.
If you were forwarded this email and would like to receive future communications, please join our mailing list here.
About the Bayh-Dole Coalition
A Word From Our Executive Director
The new year is off to a very good start for the Bayh-Dole Coalition. We remain focused on educating policymakers, stakeholders, and the public about how the Bayh-Dole framework serves as the bridge between federally funded research and real-world innovation, ensuring taxpayers see a return on their research dollars through new products, companies, jobs, and economic growth. While serious misunderstandings and threats to the law persist, they also reinforce why our mission matters. We will continue making the case that strengthening — not undermining — Bayh-Dole is essential to America’s economic competitiveness and innovation leadership
This month, we also had a very successful event on Capitol Hill about the role of small businesses in the law’s success, hosted by House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams (R-TX-25) and the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Bill Briggs. They both made their support and appreciation of Bayh-Dole apparent. We’ve posted videos of the event for those who missed it. After the meeting, we made a tour of key Congressional offices with Jennifer Pagán, one of our 2025 American Innovator Award winners, who also spoke at the event. Her firsthand stories about what it takes to bring a federally funded invention into the marketplace resonated in both venues — which is why we created the award.
We recently had a very successful luncheon for our members at the AUTM annual meeting in Seattle, WA. The highlight was when Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Coke Stewart not only stopped by to say hello, but graciously lingered to take questions from our members.
Our report on the economic impact of the Bayh-Dole Act is coming along nicely and will be unveiled soon. Its findings should resonate in an election year where growing the economy is issue #1. And finally, we’ve set a new record for nominations for the 2026 American Innovator Award, which will be presented in Washington on June 3. We will be meeting with leaders on Capitol Hill the next day, so please mark your calendars to join us.
We’ve come a very long way in the past few years. We have made a major impact on the public debate over the value of the Bayh-Dole Act and patent-driven innovation. We have more to do, but we should all be encouraged that when we forcefully make our case, it resonates with policymakers, the media, and the American public. And with your continued help and support, we’re just getting started!
February Coalition Highlights
- Article: Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, “Bayh-Dole: The Innovation Engine that Congress Must Continue to Promote and Protect” (2/26)
- Article: IPWatchdog, “Analysis of March-In Rights Guidance Marks a Sad Day for the GAO” (2/23)
- Article: MLex, “Innovators, advocates fight to save ‘America’s seedfund'” (2/6)
- Event: U.S. Innovation Leadership Depends on Small Businesses and Bayh-Dole (2/4)
- Article: Federal News Network, “U.S. innovation faces dire future under proposed Bayh-Dole gutting” (2/3)
Upcoming Events & Coalition Priorities
SAVE THE DATE! On Wednesday, June 3, and Thursday, June 4, 2026, the Bayh-Dole Coalition will host our fourth-annual American Innovator Award ceremony and Faces of American Innovation Capitol Hill briefing.
Over the two days, we will honor the individuals profiled in our soon-to-be-released 2026 Faces of American Innovation report, discuss timely Bayh-Dole-related issues, and meet with members of Congress.
- June 3: The American Innovator Award ceremony and Bayh-Dole advocacy conference will be held at Top of the Hill Banquet & Conference Center, Minuteman Ballroom (1 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002).
- June 4: The Faces of American Innovation briefing will be held on Capitol Hill (building TBD).
Portions of the event will be open to Bayh-Dole Coalition members only. If you are interested in becoming a member and having access to these exclusive portions, apply here.
More details coming soon!
On Wednesday, February 4, the Bayh-Dole Coalition hosted an event on Capitol Hill: “U.S. Innovation Leadership Depends on Small Businesses and Bayh-Dole.” Thank you to everyone who attended!
You can view the recordings on our YouTube channel and website:
- Chairman Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX-25) Remarks
- SBA Deputy Administrator William Briggs and Karen Kerrigan Fireside Chat
- Panel Discussion and Audience Q&A
After networking and lunch, House Small Business Committee Chairman Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX-25) shared remarks, followed by a fireside chat with Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Bill Briggs. The program then included a panel discussion featuring Jere Glover (Small Business Technology Council), Karen Kerrigan (Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council), Dr. Jennifer Pagán (AquiSense Inc.), Ashlyn Roberts (National Venture Capital Association), and Joseph P. Allen (Bayh-Dole Coalition).
Member Corner
- Jere Glover, Executive Director of the Small Business Technology Council
- Leigh Edwards, Device Conformity & Testing LLC
- March 22-24: IPWatchdog will host its 6th annual IPWatchdog LIVE conference! This program brings together the IP community from around the world, giving attendees the opportunity to discuss issues facing the industry.
- March 24 at 9:15 AM ET: IPWatchdog Live will feature a session with Joe Allen, Kate Hudson, Becky Kaufman, and Laura Peter: “Preserving Bayh-Dole to Protect U.S. Economic and Technological Leadership.”
- March 24 at 1:15 PM ET: Bayh-Dole Executive Director Joseph Allen, Hon. David Kappos, and Hon. Andrei Iancu will be inducted into the IPWatchdog Masters™ Hall of Fame.
- June 22-25: Biotechnology Innovation Organization will host BIO 2026 in San Diego! The BIO International Convention is the largest and most comprehensive event for biotechnology, representing the full ecosystem of biotech with 20,000 industry leaders from around the world.
- October 18-21: Licensing Executives Society USA-Canada will host its 2026 Annual Meeting in San Diego! The program will deliver in-depth content, networking, keynotes, panel discussions, roundtables, and hands-on workshops designed to help you stay ahead in today’s fast-moving IP landscape.
If you are interested in becoming a member, please apply here! 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
Our February member spotlight is Teri F. Willey! Teri is the founding managing director of Pathway to Cures (P2C), the venture arm of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. Over her distinguished career, she has served as a past president of AUTM, founding managing director of IU Ventures, held senior business development roles at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, was the founding Chief Executive of Cambridge Enterprise Ltd in England, and co-founded ARCH Development Partners. Teri recently authored a piece in the Northwest Indiana Times warning that Secretary Lutnick’s proposed tax on university patent royalties could undermine the nation’s research-to-market pipeline. We’re grateful for her leadership and proud to have her as a member and advocate for innovation.
“The Bayh-Dole Act established a technology transfer system that, for more than four decades, has provided the framework and incentives needed for universities, national laboratories, and small businesses to partner with private industry and move discoveries from the lab into the marketplace. Having spent my career commercializing research, I’ve seen how Bayh-Dole builds the trust and long-term investment required to translate promising science into startups, jobs, and even life-saving breakthroughs. Policies that weaken or destabilize this framework risk slowing the very engine that turns federally funded research into public benefit. We must uphold and protect this system to ensure that innovation continues to reach patients, communities, and the broader economy.” — Teri Willey, Managing Director and Officer, Pathway to Cures
Get Involved
If you’re interested in formally joining the Bayh-Dole Coalition or donating to our organization, please do so below!