Bayh-Dole Act (1980)

The Bayh-Dole Act, enacted in 1980, fundamentally reshaped the landscape of federally funded research in the United States. It enabled universities, small businesses, and non-profit organizations to retain ownership of inventions developed under government contracts, thereby encouraging the commercialization of innovations. By encouraging greater collaboration between academia and industry, the Act shifted the focus towards applied research with commercial potential, altering the traditional model of basic research.

That changed with the Bayh-Dole Amendment in 1980, because that said that instead of universities being the only thing that can pursue that which cannot be funded by the market, it said, and if you do do research that can be rewarded by the market, you can put in for the university to reap that reward. So suddenly, the universities abandoned their Blue Sky and started doing things that were translation oriented.

- Eric Weinstein on Renewing our Belief in the Future of Humanity with Eric Weinstein (YouTube Content)

See Also

• The Evolution of U.S. Science and Defense Research Policies
• Eilberg Amendment (1976)
• Mansfield Amendment 1969
• IMMACT90
• Science, The Endless Frontier (1945)
• Science Since Babylon