The Bayh-Dole Bulletin | Edition 26 | Faces of American Innovation
Bayh-Dole Bulletin: Edition 26
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
Our 2026 Faces of American Innovation events and visits to Capitol Hill offices were both enjoyable and highly successful. We were honored to have Representatives Deborah Ross (D-NC-02) and Kevin Kiley (I-CA-03) and Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Coke Stewart join us.
At a moment of deep polarization in Washington, it was heartening to hear bipartisan praise of the importance of the Bayh-Dole Act. Our American Innovator Award recipients and Coalition members met with 22 House and Senate offices, concentrating on established champions of Bayh‑Dole, key committee members, and potential long‑term allies. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) met with Dr. Colleen Scott, our award winner from Mississippi State University, and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) met with Dr. Eric Fossum, our winner whose research originated at Caltech. Senator John Fetterman met Dr. Carmel Majidi, our award winner from Carnegie Mellon University, for this classic photo on the steps of the Capitol.
If you missed the event, you can watch the program here.
Once again, we saw that when properly presented, our issues resonate on both sides of the aisle. We are now setting the stage for next year, when we will enter one of the most challenging political environments in the Coalition’s history. Both parties are moving further apart, and while it’s unclear which party will control Congress next year, it appears that whichever does will have a perilously thin majority. We may well see one party controlling the House and the other controlling the Senate. At the same time, the 2028 presidential race will begin in earnest, sharpening partisan instincts and raising the temperature on every major policy debate.
We will also have many new Members of Congress (and staff) who may be unfamiliar with our issues, or may have erroneous impressions of how the system works. That means that it’s more important than ever to get our message out early, as those opposed to Bayh-Dole and the patent system are sure to be pushing simple-sounding solutions that would seriously damage American innovation and well-being.
We have a track record of success and know that our story resonates when presented. We can face the future with confidence, but we must also be realistic about the environment we face. These times call for renewed effort and commitment from all of us. We will soon begin rolling out several new initiatives to strengthen our outreach, equip our allies, and ensure that Bayh‑Dole remains a cornerstone of American innovation policy. Once again, thank you for your help and support. It will be needed more than ever.
June Coalition Highlights
- Article: NOLA.com, “Mississippi doctor develops new class of imaging dyes to see tumors in real time” (6/24)
- Also seen in The Advocate, Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate
- Op-Ed: Sabrina Kemeny, Startups Magazine, “What engineering intelligence really looks like: from invention to adoption” (6/23)
- Article: Johns Hopkins University, “Two Johns Hopkins innovators honored for advancing prostate cancer detection” (6/18)
- Article: IPWatchdog, “Witnessing the Miracle of Innovation in Real Time” (6/11)
- Podcast: Conversations on Health Care, “How a Bill on Capitol Hill Spurred a Health Revolution” (6/11)
- Article: NSBA, “Small Business Technology Council, SBTC Executive Director Jere Glover Inducted into the Bayh-Dole Coalition Hall of Fame” (6/4)
- Article: Federal News Network, “Getting from a patent to a product is still where many ideas get stuck” (6/4)
- Also aired on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
- Article: St. Louis Business Journal, “Biotech firm C2N Diagnostics inks expansion pact for Alzheimer’s blood tests” (6/3)
- Article: Hoodline, “St. Louis Lab Duo Snags D.C. Honor for Breakthrough Alzheimer’s Blood Test” (5/28)
- Article: The Dartmouth, “Inventor and Thayer professor Eric Fossum discusses his invention of the chip that made cell phone cameras possible” (5/28)
- Article: Dartmouth Engineering News, “Eric Fossum to receive 2026 American Innovator Award” (5/28)
2026 Faces of American Innovation
Thank you to everyone who attended our fourth-annual American Innovator Award Ceremony and Faces of American Innovation Capitol Hill Briefing earlier this month!
The events honored the 2026 American Innovator Award recipients, whose achievements are featured in the 2026 Faces of American Innovation report:
- Dr. Eric Fossum, vice provost of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer and senior professor at Dartmouth College, and Dr. Sabrina Kemeny, co-founder of tech startup TAP Systems, Inc., who co-invented the “camera-on-a-chip.”
- Dr. Colleen Scott, chemist and associate professor at Mississippi State University, who discovered a new class of shortwave infrared (SWIR) imaging dyes.
- Dr. Randall Bateman and Dr. David Holtzman, neurologists and professors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who pioneered PrecivityAD® and PrecivityAD2™.
- Dr. Carmel Majidi, entrepreneur and engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who created “Thubber” or thermally conductive rubber.
- Dr. Robert Dannals, professor of radiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Dr. Martin Pomper, professor and chair of radiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who developed Pylarify®.
Check out the recordings of the American Innovator Award Ceremony and Capitol Hill briefing here or below!
Have an inventor, academic researcher, federal lab scientist, tech transfer professional, civil servant, or investor in mind for the 2027 American Innovator Award? Nominate them below.
Member Corner
- Community And Family Aid Foundation-Ghana
- International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA)
- Elizabeth Rhodus, Founder and Scientist, The Karatheia Company
- Robert Dannals, Professor of Radiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
- Phoebe Miles, Co-Founder and Board Chair, Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention
- August 14-16: International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) will host the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival! SVIIF brings together more than 500 inventors from over 30 countries, creating an international platform for innovation, creativity, and technological advancement.
- 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 June member spotlight is Northeastern University! As an R1 research institution, Northeastern advances research commercialization through its Center for Research Innovation (CRI), which helps transform discoveries into real-world applications through industry partnerships and startup formation. Since its founding in 2011, CRI has disclosed over 1,600 inventions, been issued nearly 600 patents, and launched 112 spinouts. The Bayh-Dole Coalition is proud to count Northeastern as a member committed to bringing university research to market and delivering tangible benefits to society.
“Every day, I have the privilege of working with researchers whose discoveries have the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The Bayh-Dole Act provides the foundation that makes this possible by empowering universities to partner with industry, launch startups, and move promising technologies beyond the laboratory. Throughout my career in entrepreneurship, research administration, and technology transfer, I’ve seen how this framework helps bridge the gap between ideas and application. Protecting Bayh-Dole means preserving one of America’s most successful models for translating research into societal and economic benefit.” — Jennifer Boyle-Lynch, Executive Director, Northeastern Center for Research Innovation
Get Involved
If you’re interested in formally joining the Bayh-Dole Coalition or donating to our organization, please do so below!