Ivory Tower and Industrial Innovation: University-Industry Technology Transfer Before and After the Bayh-Dole Act (Innovation and Technology in the World E): David Mowery, Richard Nelson, Bhaven Sampat, Arvids Ziedonis
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This book addresses an important and timely topic which has garnered substantial interest among policymakers, academic analysts, and the broader scientific and technical community. It reflects over a decade of careful qualitative and quantitative research by these authors. This collection brings together their most interesting work in this important area.” —Scott Stern, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
“This clear and succinct volume convincingly overturns the conventional wisdom about university-industry relations in science and technology. The authors muster extensive historical and contemporary empirical evidence to build a robust and nuanced conception of the transfer of knowledge between the two sectors. This work warrants close attention from academic administrators, research managers, and public policy-makers in the U.S. and abroad.”—David M. Hart, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
“This splendid volume offers a nuanced and sophisticated assessment of the growing ties between universities and industry, arguing that public policy was a facilitator but not a catalyst and that university R&D faces threats from its growing proprietary emphasis. No student or analyst of the R&D process, or university administrator, should ignore the message of this book that the preeminence of U.S. universities rests upon a commitment to open science, and that it is precisely that openness that enhances industrial innovation.”—Walter W. Powell, Stanford University, School of Education
Since the early 1980s, universities in the United States have greatly expanded their patenting and licensing activities. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee, among other authorities, argued that the increase in university patenting and licensing contributed to the economic boom of the 1990s. Many observers have attributed this trend to the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which facilitated patenting and licensing by universities. This book examines the conventional wisdom by adopting a more holistic point of view, examining the diverse channels within which commercialization has occurred throughout the 20th century and since the passage of the Act. Using quantitative analysis and detailed case studies to assess the effects of the Act, it concludes that universities must maintain their historic commitment to the free flow of knowledge to serve the global public interest and sustain their remarkable scientific and technological achievements of the past century.