The federal government can stimulate the creation of jobs and businesses by streamlining its policies for bringing new technologies to market, according to a report from the Association of University Research Parks (AURP). The report by Brian Darmody, president of the AURP and associate vice president for research and economic development at the University of Maryland, offers a 10-point plan that includes targeted federal investments to benefit high-tech states. “This is not only about money,” Darmody says. “It’s also a matter of adjusting the policies and regulations that too often deter entrepreneurial researchers in our universities and federal labs from commercializing their work.” Job creation in the United States will largely depend on startups and entrepreneurs who populate university research parks, laboratories, and incubators, he adds. “These are the main centers of innovation in this country. Much more of their work would be commercially viable if some of the roadblocks could be eliminated.”
The 10 steps offered in the report, entitled “The Power of Innovation,” include greater flexibility in federal grant policies for technology commercialization, improved allocation of the $25 billion in R&D spent internally in federal labs, and new connections between federal researchers and the private sector. The plan also supports pending federal legislation that would provide seed funding to create or expand research park infrastructure and calls for “cash for commercialization” – federal grants to encourage researchers to commercialize their work. In addition, the report recommends tax policy changes that would make it easier for the private sector to license IP from universities. The report is available here.
Source: PhysOrg.com