The federal government should require universities receiving research grants to allow faculty inventors the right to choose their licensing agent
Arundeep Pradhan and I agree on the fundamental issue: Our economy and our society need more innovation, and universities are a rich source. We just disagree on the best way to maximize their potential.
The core of that disagreement is about the value and role of university "technology licensing offices" (TLOs). Pradhan—who is president of the Association of University Technology Managers, essentially the TLO trade association—thinks the system is working just fine, according to his recent BusinesWeek.com column. I think it could be improved through more competition.
Universities are supposed to be, and mostly are, "marketplaces of ideas." But when it comes to inventions developed by their faculty, there is only one avenue available. TLOs typically assert total control over which innovations can reach the market, in what form, and how fast. In the Harvard Business Review article that Pradhan criticizes, my co-author and I proposed some modest steps to expand the avenues to commercialization. For instance, why not allow faculty members to test the waters by approaching TLOs at other schools? Or better yet, let them use independent licensing agents who may have more expertise in the inventor's technology of choice? The net result—something we believe that Pradhan wants (or should want) no less than we—would be more inventions moving more quickly to market, thereby benefiting society, the university, and the inventors.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Improving the Commercialization of University Inventions - BusinessWeek
Author: Robert E. Litan
