USIJ Statement for NIH Workshop

Prepared Statement of Robert P. Taylor

General Counsel, Alliance of US Startups and Inventors for Jobs (“USIJ”)

National Institutes of Health Workshop entitled

Transforming Discoveries into Products: Maximizing NIH’s Levers to Catalyze Technology Transfer

My name is Robert P. Taylor, General Counsel for Alliance of U.S. Startups and Inventors for Jobs (“USIJ”).  I am pleased with the invitation to appear as a public speaker during the subject workshop to present the views of USIJ and its constituencies, which comprise individual inventors, entrepreneurs, startups, and the investors that fund these entities.  Many of USIJ’s members and supporters are engaged in developing health care related products such as new drugs, medical devices and health care management tools.  USIJ was founded nearly a decade ago to help inform government officials, members of Congress, and the Federal Judiciary regarding the role that patents play in promoting investments, development and technology transfers of these and other products that incorporate new technologies.  By ameliorating some of the competitive risks associated with investments in startups and small companies, patents should play a key role in enticing venture capitalists and other investors to fund such activities, particularly in the area of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices.