STAT+: Trump administration launches investigation into Harvard’s federally funded research patents

The U.S. Department of Commerce is opening an investigation into Harvard’s federally funded research programs amid allegations that it failed to follow the law, according to a senior administration official.

In a letter sent to Harvard President Alan Garber on Friday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick alleges the university failed to follow several regulations outlined in federal law, including disclosing federally funded research inventions in a certain timeframe, ensuring inventions are manufactured substantially in the U.S., and making the patents available to the public.

The Department of Commerce is also initiating the “march-in” process under the Bayh-Dole Act, a federal law that allows contractors ownership of inventions. If the investigation reveals wrongdoing, the government could grant third-party licenses to Harvard’s patents or take control of them itself, a measure that has not been taken by a federal agency since the Bayh-Dole Act’s passage in 1980.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…