What does the Bayh-Dole Act allow regarding government-funded inventions?

The Bayh-Dole Act is significant legislation that changed how inventions made with federal funding are handled. It allows universities, small businesses, and non-profits to retain the rights to inventions they develop with federal grant money. This means that these entities can transfer exclusive control of the inventions to private entities, enabling them to commercialize these inventions or license them more efficiently. This aspect of the Bayh-Dole Act encourages the development of new technologies and helps to ensure that the benefits of publicly funded research lead to practical applications, including commercial products and services.

The other options do not accurately reflect the key provisions of the Bayh-Dole Act. While sharing inventions with international organizations may occur, it is not a requirement or primary purpose of the act. Similarly, the creation of public access databases for inventions and mandatory publication of research findings are not stipulations of the Bayh-Dole Act; the focus is primarily on ensuring that inventors can patent and profit from their inventions, thus fostering innovation and technology transfer.