December 12, 2025, marks Tech Transfer Professionals Day and the 45th anniversary of the Bayh–Dole Act, a bipartisan law that transformed how federally funded research reaches society. Today, we recognize the teams who make technology transfer possible and invite researchers, scientists, and inventors across Puerto Rico to engage, learn, and join the journey from discovery to real-world solutions.
The Bayh-Dole Act (P.L. 96-517), signed on December 12, 1980, created a uniform federal patent policy that allowed universities, nonprofits, and small businesses to retain ownership of inventions developed with federal funding. Before this law, discoveries made with government support often stalled—because no one owned them, only a tiny fraction ever reached the public.
By giving ownership to the creators, Bayh-Dole unlocked a new innovation model. Researchers could collaborate with industry, universities could license technologies, startups could form around academic discoveries, and federally funded inventions could finally benefit society. This legislation marked the birth of modern technology transfer, a system that has generated thousands of products, millions of jobs, and entire industries.
Many life-changing technologies reached the public because tech transfer professionals helped move them from the lab into society. Examples include:
• mRNA vaccines
• The Bionic Ear, the first successful multi-channel cochlear implant, enabled speech understanding for the severely and profoundly deaf
• Google’s foundational search algorithm
• Advances in in vitro fertilization (IVF)
• The medical formulation of Gatorade
These innovations have improved millions of lives and strengthened industries worldwide.
The U.S. remains a global leader in academic research. In 2023, universities invested $108.8 billion in R&D. About 55% of this total ($59.7 billion) came from federal sources, while the remainder was supported by university funds (25%), nonprofit organizations (~6%), businesses (~6%), and state and local governments (~5%). This investment fuels discoveries and technology transfer ensures those discoveries reach the world.
At the Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust, our regional Technology Transfer Office supports 17 public and private university campuses across the island. We provide the expertise and infrastructure needed to protect intellectual property, evaluate inventions, secure patents, engage industry partners, license technologies, launch startups, and guide innovators through the commercialization pathway. Our mission is simple: help discoveries made in Puerto Rico reach the people who need them.
Technology transfer is a global profession. AUTM, the world’s largest association of tech transfer professionals, includes more than 3,000 members across over 800 universities, research institutions, hospitals, companies, and government agencies. Their data consistently demonstrates that tech transfer is one of the most effective engines for turning research investment into public benefit. Below, you will find an AUTM impact infographic illustrating how technology transfer fuels startups, jobs, economic growth, and life-changing products—showing how tech transfer drives the innovation economy.
Today, we celebrate the work of technology transfer professionals, the bridge between research and real-world impact. From life-saving treatments and breakthrough technologies to new companies and high-impact jobs, their work ensures that university discoveries don’t remain in labs or journals but become solutions that shape the way we live, work, and thrive.
As we mark 45 years of the Bayh-Dole Act, we honor the vital role of technology transfer professionals across Puerto Rico and around the world.
Their work transforms ideas into impact—improving lives, driving economic growth, and advancing research.
Happy Technology Transfer Professionals Day!
