Category Archives: Vannever Bush

How Bayh-Dole went wrong and what might be done, 2

The nature of federal research contracts Let’s work through how Bayh-Dole might have been structured. We start with the nature of federal contracts. A federal contract is not quite like a conventional contract formed under state laws. The federal government … Continue reading

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The Bush Engine of Technology Innovation

Vannevar Bush argued that it was a proper role for the federal government to support scientific research. This proposition today is regarded as a truth that hardly needs justification. But in Science the Endless Frontier, Bush was not arguing for … Continue reading

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The beating of Vannevar Bush will continue until productivity improves

Apparently it is popular in science policy to think that Vannevar Bush failed to have insights worth pursuing when it comes to science policy. Dan Sarewitz calls him a liar. Venkatesh Narayahnamurti and Toluwalogo Odumosu blame him for a distinction between … Continue reading

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Was Vannevar Bush So Wrong?

Over at Science of Science Policy there’s more discussion of Vannevar Bush, this time attributing to Bush the “linear model” of innovation that asserts that basic research leads to discoveries that applied research then prepares for development into commercial products, … Continue reading

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The Public Research Patent Covenant–Narrative Version

The Institutional Patent Agreement approach to patent rights arising from federally supported research carried with it what we may call a public covenant, a set of conditions that run with each patent on a subject invention that place limits on … Continue reading

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Vannevar Bush’s seductive lie

At The New Atlantis, Dan Sarewitz has published an interesting article, “Saving Science.” While there’s plenty to discuss regarding his major theme, that scientists “must come out of the lab into the real world,” here I’d like to deal with a … Continue reading

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Vannevar Bush and the Unexpected Model of Innovation

In Science and Technology Policy in the United States: Open Systems in Action, Sylvia Kraemer spends a section of a chapter discussing Vannevar Bush and Science the Endless Frontier. Kraemer agrees that Science the Endless Frontier is an important document in … Continue reading

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The Free Play of Free Intellects

The Bayh-Dole Act has been championed as a great turning point in the federal government’s management of inventions made by university faculty (for the most part) supported by federal money. The impression meant to be left with us is that … Continue reading

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The Entrepreunial Research University

Three narratives have come together to support the transformation of American university innovation policy from one of diversity and institutional support to one of monopoly institutional control of research inventions, heralded as the best thing for the country. All the … Continue reading

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Francis Bacon, Vannevar Bush, and Technology Transfer

Peter Harrison and Benoît Godin trace the history and transformation of two of the critical concepts that underlie the present formula for university research: curiosity and innovation. Remarkably, both concepts have much of their early existence as negative things, to be … Continue reading

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