Reinventing public R&D: patent policy and the commercialization of national laboratory technologies

Despite their magnitude and potential impact, federal R&D expenditures outs ide of research universities have attracted little economic scrutiny. We ex amine the initiatives since 1980 to encourage patenting and technology tran sfer at the national laboratories. Both field and empirical research challe nges the conventional picture of bleak failure, The policy changes had a su bstantial impact on the laboratories' patenting: they have gradually reache d parity in patents per R&D dollar with research universities. Unlike unive rsities, laboratory patent quality has remained constant or even increased despite this growth, Success is associated with avoiding technological dive rsification and with having a university as lab manager.