PATENTING PUBLIC-FUNDED RESEARCH FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER : A Conceptual-Empirical Synthesis of US Evidence and Lessons for India

The question of protecting intellectual property rights by academic inventors was never seriously contemplated until the introduction of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980 in the US. The Act allowed universities to retain patent rights over inventions arising out of federally-funded research and to license those patents exclusively or nonexclusively at their discretion. This particular legislation was a response to the growing concern over the fact that federally funded inventions in the US were not reaching the market place. In this paper, we present a critical review of the US experience after the Bayh-Dole Act and argue that the evidence is far from being unambiguous. We discuss the debate surrounding the Act the extent to which it was successful in achieving its objectives, the unintended consequences, if any, and more generally, the effectiveness of IPR as a vehicle of technology transfer from universities. We also discuss the limited evidence on Bayh-Dole type legislations introduced in other countries. A new legislation, along the lines of the US Bayh-Dole Act The Protection and Utilisation of Public Funded IP Bill, 2008 is presently before the Indian parliament. The paper presents an Indian perspective against the backdrop of the US experience in an attempt to draw concrete lessons for India.Bayh-Dole Act, public-funded research, universities, Patents, India

Drivers of Academic Research and Patenting in India: Econometric Estimation of the Research Production Function

In this paper we attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding of the drivers ofacademic research and patenting in India. Academic research is conceptualised as aresearch production process where research inputs (like research time and number ofresearch scholars) are transformed into research outputs in the form of publicationsand patents. We expect research inputs by a faculty member to be an outcome ofhis/her own decision-making process, which in turn determine his/her researchoutputs. Exogenous parameters, like faculty background, faculty attitude, researchsponsorship and institutional factors, are expected to influence both set of endogenousvariables (research inputs and outputs). We specify this production function as arecursive simultaneous equation model and estimate the structural parameters usingstandard econometric methods. Our results clearly identify several drivers ofacademic research and patenting in India, in terms of faculty background, facultyattitude and other parameters, from which we arrive at concrete policy lessons forpatenting of academic research in India. In particular, we argue that putting in placeinstitutional structures will not serve the purpose without addressing the fundamentalissues of research environment, culture and attitude in the first place. In a sense,therefore, introducing an IPR legislation alone may not act as an instant magicformula to energise Indian academic research for commercial application.Academic Research, Patents, Bayh-Dole Act, India

Patenting Public-Funded Research for Technology Transfer: A Conceptual-Empirical Synthesis of US Evidence and Lessons for India

The question of protecting intellectual property rights by academic inventors wasnever seriously contemplated until the introduction of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980 inthe US. The Act allowed universities to retain patent rights over inventions arising outof federally-funded research and to license those patents exclusively or nonexclusivelyat their discretion. This particular legislation was a response to thegrowing concern over the fact that federally funded inventions in the US were notreaching the market place. In this paper, we present a critical review of the USexperience after the Bayh-Dole Act and argue that the evidence is far from beingunambiguous. We discuss the debate surrounding the Act – the extent to which it wassuccessful in achieving its objectives, the unintended consequences, if any, and moregenerally, the effectiveness of IPR as a vehicle of technology transfer fromuniversities. We also discuss the limited evidence on Bayh-Dole type legislationsintroduced in other countries. A new legislation, along the lines of the US Bayh-DoleAct – The Protection and Utilisation of Public Funded IP Bill, 2008 – is presentlybefore the Indian parliament. The paper presents an Indian perspective against thebackdrop of the US experience in an attempt to draw concrete lessons for India.Bayh-Dole Act, public-funded research, universities, patents, India

A new analytical modelling for nonlocal generalized Riesz fractional sine-Gordon equation

AbstractIn this paper, a novel approach comprising the modified decomposition method with Fourier transform has been implemented for the approximate solution of fractional sine-Gordon equation utt-RDxαu+sinu=0 where RDxα is the Riesz space fractional derivative, 1≤α≤2. For α=2, it becomes classical sine-Gordon equation utt−uxx+sin u=0 and corresponding to α=1, it becomes nonlocal sine-Gordon equation utt−Hu+sin u=0 which arises in Josephson junction theory, where H is the Hilbert transform. The fractional sine-Gordon equation is considered as an interpolation between the classical sine-Gordon equation (corresponding to α=2) and nonlocal sine-Gordon equation (corresponding to α=1). Here the analytic solution of fractional sine-Gordon equation is derived by using the modified decomposition method with Fourier transform. Then, we analyze the results by numerical simulations, which demonstrate the simplicity and effectiveness of the present method

Behavioural shift of estuarine mudcrab as biomarker of arsenic exposure in Sundarbans estuary of West Bengal

Mudcrab Scylla serrata (Crustacea: Decapoda) in an ecologically and economically important species of Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve was studied for its behaviour under the exposure of toxic arsenic - a common xenobiotic of this area. The behavioural profile of aquatic animals exposed to diverse toxicants are considered as an index to estimate the degree and nature of stress experienced by the animals both in nature and in experimental conditions. Present investigation involved study of selected behavioural shift of S. serrata under the sublethalconcentrations of 1, 2 and 3 ppm of sodium arsenite for 1, 2, 3 and 4 days in controlled laboratory condition. Exposure to arsenic resulted an appearance of selected abnormal behavioural manifestation including tendency of avoidance, hypersecretion of mucoid element and release of excess excretory products. Toxin induced alteration of studied behaviour is indicative to possible shift in the overall physiological functions and biological activities of this important species in its natural habitat. Chronic exposure to 3 ppm of sodium arsenite for 30 days may lead to decline this economically important species in Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

Studies on modulation of hemocyte surface antigen through agglutination reaction under arsenic toxicity in edible mudcrab (Scylla serrata)

Scylla serrata (Crustacea: Decapoda), which is widely spread on the intertidal mudflat of West Bengal, India's Sundarbans Biosphere Reserves, is a potential aqua crop and an economically significant edible species. One of the larger crab groups in the mangrove swamp of the Sundarbans is thought to be this one. The S. serrata's multifaceted immune response is directly tied to its diverse habitat and survival technique. It lives in dangerous surroundings and is constantly in danger of physiological stress brought on by various xenobiotics, such as arsenic. By producing a number of polyclonal antisera in rabbits (New Zealand White, albino), the study attempted to evaluate the surface antigen against crab hemocytes and murine lymphocytes. Control hemocytes and hemocytes treated to 1 ppm expressed very identical reactivity to antihemocyte sera for the agglutination reaction. The control results, however, shifted when exposed to 2 and 3 ppm of sodium arsenite, indicating arsenic-induced hemocyte surface modification. The agglutination reaction from the control sets of hemocytes that reacted with murine anti-lymphocyte sera gradually, shifted as the quantity of sodium arsenite in the medium of the treatment sets increased. The maximum equivalence zone of murine lymphocyte and hemocyte agglutination 98.6% and 99% respectively suggested a potential epitope sharing between two phylogenetically separate species. The situation may lead to a possible alteration of immune status and make opportunity for pathogenic foreign invaders within the mud crab body. Chronic arsenic exposure indicated a steady decline of edible and demandable S. serrata in the natural habitat of Sundarbans