Technology Transfer: Improving Incentives For Technology Transfer at
Federal Laboratories (Testimony, 10/26/93, GAO/T-RCED-94-42).

GAO supports the provisions of the Technology Commercialization Act of
1993, which would increase the up-front royalty payments to investors
and limit the amount of remaining income that can be used for
nonscientific purposes.  GAO believes that these measure should
stimulate federal scientists' interest in reporting inventions and spur
federal laboratory directors to encourage technology transfer. Although
GAO is uncertain what the impact would be of assigning title to
intellectual property to Cooperative Research and Development Agreement
collaborators, industry representatives told GAO that ownership and
control over technology is important to developing new products.  In
addition, procedural impediments, such as the lack of ready access to
advice on patenting inventions or the slow and arbitrary nature of
selecting inventions to patent, continue to diminish incentives for
technology transfer at federal laboratories.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-RCED-94-42
     TITLE:  Technology Transfer: Improving Incentives For Technology 
             Transfer at Federal Laboratories
      DATE:  10/26/93
   SUBJECT:  Research and development
             Research program management
             Royalty payments
             Employee incentives
             Patents
             Administrative costs
             Technology transfer
             Scientific research
             Laboratories
IDENTIFIER:  Technology Commercialization Act of 1993
             
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