brian oshaughnessy

100 Misguided Lawmakers Could Undermine American Universities

Spread the love

.

By Brian O’Shaughnessy

American universities have long attracted the best and brightest from around the world. They come for the sophisticated research opportunities that prevail in academic labs — funded, in part, by American taxpayer dollars.
But with taxpayer dollars comes political scrutiny. One-hundred members of Congress proposed a reinterpretation of the law that fuels this world-class R&D engine. And their short-term political ploy, if adopted, would undermine U.S. leadership in higher education.
Back in the 1970s, leaders in Congress realized that America’s research apparatus was not achieving all that it could. While federal funds supported groundbreaking research in academic labs across the nation, those funds came with strings attached. Namely, the government retained title to patents if they arose from research funded in any part by taxpayer dollars.

brian oshaughnessy

Brian O’Shaughnessy

And the government did a poor job of finding companies willing to invest in turning that patented basic research into actual, useful products. The feds licensed fewer than 5% of those patents to the private sector.
University and small business leaders proposed a solution to this waste: decentralization. Rather than Washington bureaucrats licensing federally funded inventions, universities and small companies themselves could license patents they developed with government support.
Formalized in a bipartisan 1980 law colloquially known as the Bayh-Dole Act, this arrangement unleashed a frenzy of university research and successful commercialization.
Thanks to the current congressional proposal, however, Bayh-Dole and sponsored research at America’s universities could soon be eviscerated.
Hoping to find a silver bullet to cut drug prices, lawmakers zeroed in on an obscure provision of the Bayh-Dole Act. It allows the government to “march in” and relicense patents derived from federally funded research in a few rare circumstances.
These lawmakers, however, want to twist the original intent of this provision in hopes of marching in on innovative products that, thanks to Bayh-Dole, are already on the market. Essentially, they’re proposing to use march-in rights as de facto price controls.
The authors of the 1980 law definitively stated that Congress never intended to grant such authority to the federal government.
And for good reason. If the private sector believed that the government could rip up carefully negotiated license agreements on a whim, firms would not license university research, nor would they pour hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars into sponsoring academic research and then developing that research into useful commercial products.
We’ve already run this experiment. In 1989, the federal government began inserting a “reasonable pricing clause” into patent licenses and cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) between federally funded academic institutions and the private sector.
Instead of lowering drug prices, however, this policy repelled private industry from collaborating with academia.
Resurrecting these failed policies would once again deal a blow to America’s research universities. The opportunity to perform research, and collaborate with industry, attracts thousands of bright foreign students to the United States every year. By and large, these students stay in the country and help America maintain a net positive trade imbalance in “intellectual capital.”
Gutting American academic research means that more of those students will take their talent and their tuition dollars to competing markets. That’d be a tragic outcome.
Destroying Bayh-Dole’s virtuous research and development cycle could upend American higher education. That’s an unfathomably high price to pay. Let’s not do it.
Brian O’Shaughnessy is chair of the IP Transactions and Licensing Group of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, and a past president of the Licensing Executives Society (USA & Canada), Inc. He also serves as chair of the Bayh-Dole Coalition Board of Directors. This piece originally appeared in RealClearEducation.

Local News

Saint Xavier running back Amari Venerable tries to break a tackle in a loss to Northwestern (Iowa) in the NAIA quarterfinals. Photo courtesy of Saint Xavier University Department of Athletics

College Report | SXU football falls in quarterfinals

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer For three quarters, Saint Xavier went nearly toe-to-toe with the No. 1-ranked football team in the nation. Justin Pringle had returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to bring the Cougars to within three points of Northwestern (Iowa), the top-seeded team in the NAIA playoffs and the…

Richards grad Sean Lewis is the new football coach at San Diego State. Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

Area Sports Roundup | Richards grad Sean Lewis ready to air it out in San Diego

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The rollercoaster ride continues for Sean Lewis. The Richards alum went from being the head coach at Kent State to the offensive coordinator at Colorado, one of the most talked about college football programs in the country this season because of Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. He was…

Argo's Alizza Quinones gets ready to pass the ball against Andrew at last year's Sandburg Holiday Tournament. The Argonauts are scheduled to return to this year's tournament in Orland Park. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Girls Hoops | Sandburg and Oak Lawn to host holiday tournaments

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The field has been finalized for the third Sandburg Holiday Classic, which is the only girls basketball holiday tournament in the area to feature 16 teams. The host Eagles will be joined in the event, to be held Dec. 27-29, by area teams Oak Lawn, Richards, Argo and…

CRRNH_TimHadacColPix_120623

Unique, cheerful, local crafts at Hale Park

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound . I’ve never been one to decorate for Christmas, just for the sake of decorating. And I’m not a fan of many of the things we see these days. I’ll take a pass on Christmas decorations that involve images of celebrities, pro sports logos,…

Screen Shot 2023-12-01 at 11.37.21 PM

Keeping fighters flying

Spread the love

Spread the love  Garfield Ridge native Brandon Tapia recently graduated from U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training with honors – a recognition earned by only the top 10% of each class. After Air Force BMT, airmen begin technical training to learn the technical skills needed to perform in their career field specialties. The field Tapia…

Misael Sanchez

Offer cash reward in Chrysler Village slaying

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Tim Hadac . Someone somewhere knows who shot and killed Misael Sanchez. To help bring that person forward, the Cook County Crime Stoppers group is offering a cash reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the killer’s arrest. Sanchez, 23, was shot in the 5200 block of West 64th…

Oak Lawn Community High School students, Aiden Alarcon, 15, of Hometown and Sarah Abdallah, 14, of Oak Lawn, donating food to the high school's Student Council Food Drive. (Supplied photo)

OLCHS Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive aids needy

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Kelly White Donating to those in need during the holiday season are students at Oak Lawn Community High School. The Student Council at the high school, 9400 Southwest Hwy. in Oak Lawn, recently hosted its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. “I like the Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive because it’s an opportunity to…

A chart depicting future changes for Oak Lawn Community High School, including an additional parking lot, were provided during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday morning. (Photo by Joe Boyle)

Oak Lawn approves new parking lot, fieldhouse for OLCHS

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle An additional parking lot and an athletic fieldhouse has been approved for Oak Lawn Community High School. Joseph McCurdy, assistant superintendent for Oak Lawn Community High School District 229, gave a brief slide presentation detailing some of the plans for the parking lot and an athletic fieldhouse during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday morning.…

Games designed by Palos 118 ALPS students Shea Currran (from left), Carol Pack, and Marley McCall all took home awards from this year’s Young Inventor Challenge. (Supplied photos)

Palos 118 students win at 2023 Young Inventor Challenge

Spread the love

Spread the loveFourth-grade students from Palos School District 118 took home three awards at the 2023 Young Inventor Challenge. Students from Palos East and West Elementaries participated in the event on November 4 and 5 in Chicago. The program gives students ages 6 to18 an opportunity to develop and pitch their original inventions to toy and game…

Navy recruits enjoy a Thanksgiving feast courtesy of Joshua W. Harris VFW Post 2868 in Brookfield. (Photos by Nuha Abdessalam)

Brookfield VFW helps Navy recruits enjoy Thanksgiving

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam About 50 recruits undergoing Boot Camp at the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago had plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. “This has been so challenging,” said Seaman recruit Cazja Andrades. “These nine weeks have been so hard but such a gift.” “Everyone here has been such a…

Neighbors

Saint Xavier running back Amari Venerable tries to break a tackle in a loss to Northwestern (Iowa) in the NAIA quarterfinals. Photo courtesy of Saint Xavier University Department of Athletics

College Report | SXU football falls in quarterfinals

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer For three quarters, Saint Xavier went nearly toe-to-toe with the No. 1-ranked football team in the nation. Justin Pringle had returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to bring the Cougars to within three points of Northwestern (Iowa), the top-seeded team in the NAIA playoffs and the…

Richards grad Sean Lewis is the new football coach at San Diego State. Photo courtesy of San Diego State University Athletics

Area Sports Roundup | Richards grad Sean Lewis ready to air it out in San Diego

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The rollercoaster ride continues for Sean Lewis. The Richards alum went from being the head coach at Kent State to the offensive coordinator at Colorado, one of the most talked about college football programs in the country this season because of Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. He was…

Argo's Alizza Quinones gets ready to pass the ball against Andrew at last year's Sandburg Holiday Tournament. The Argonauts are scheduled to return to this year's tournament in Orland Park. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Girls Hoops | Sandburg and Oak Lawn to host holiday tournaments

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The field has been finalized for the third Sandburg Holiday Classic, which is the only girls basketball holiday tournament in the area to feature 16 teams. The host Eagles will be joined in the event, to be held Dec. 27-29, by area teams Oak Lawn, Richards, Argo and…

CRRNH_TimHadacColPix_120623

Unique, cheerful, local crafts at Hale Park

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound . I’ve never been one to decorate for Christmas, just for the sake of decorating. And I’m not a fan of many of the things we see these days. I’ll take a pass on Christmas decorations that involve images of celebrities, pro sports logos,…

Screen Shot 2023-12-01 at 11.37.21 PM

Keeping fighters flying

Spread the love

Spread the love  Garfield Ridge native Brandon Tapia recently graduated from U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training with honors – a recognition earned by only the top 10% of each class. After Air Force BMT, airmen begin technical training to learn the technical skills needed to perform in their career field specialties. The field Tapia…

Misael Sanchez

Offer cash reward in Chrysler Village slaying

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Tim Hadac . Someone somewhere knows who shot and killed Misael Sanchez. To help bring that person forward, the Cook County Crime Stoppers group is offering a cash reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the killer’s arrest. Sanchez, 23, was shot in the 5200 block of West 64th…

Oak Lawn Community High School students, Aiden Alarcon, 15, of Hometown and Sarah Abdallah, 14, of Oak Lawn, donating food to the high school's Student Council Food Drive. (Supplied photo)

OLCHS Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive aids needy

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Kelly White Donating to those in need during the holiday season are students at Oak Lawn Community High School. The Student Council at the high school, 9400 Southwest Hwy. in Oak Lawn, recently hosted its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. “I like the Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive because it’s an opportunity to…

A chart depicting future changes for Oak Lawn Community High School, including an additional parking lot, were provided during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday morning. (Photo by Joe Boyle)

Oak Lawn approves new parking lot, fieldhouse for OLCHS

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle An additional parking lot and an athletic fieldhouse has been approved for Oak Lawn Community High School. Joseph McCurdy, assistant superintendent for Oak Lawn Community High School District 229, gave a brief slide presentation detailing some of the plans for the parking lot and an athletic fieldhouse during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday morning.…

Games designed by Palos 118 ALPS students Shea Currran (from left), Carol Pack, and Marley McCall all took home awards from this year’s Young Inventor Challenge. (Supplied photos)

Palos 118 students win at 2023 Young Inventor Challenge

Spread the love

Spread the loveFourth-grade students from Palos School District 118 took home three awards at the 2023 Young Inventor Challenge. Students from Palos East and West Elementaries participated in the event on November 4 and 5 in Chicago. The program gives students ages 6 to18 an opportunity to develop and pitch their original inventions to toy and game…

Navy recruits enjoy a Thanksgiving feast courtesy of Joshua W. Harris VFW Post 2868 in Brookfield. (Photos by Nuha Abdessalam)

Brookfield VFW helps Navy recruits enjoy Thanksgiving

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam About 50 recruits undergoing Boot Camp at the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago had plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. “This has been so challenging,” said Seaman recruit Cazja Andrades. “These nine weeks have been so hard but such a gift.” “Everyone here has been such a…