A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Study Measuring the Effects of Implementing the Bayh-Dole in International Contexts

This study explores how the implementation of a Bayh-Dole Act in other countries affects trilateral partnerships between higher education institutions, government, and industries. The purpose of this study is to assess whether the policy incentivizes resource sharing for innovation and encourages these trilateral partnerships. The policy was originally implemented in 1980 in the United States and the argument remains whether it increased innovation. Yet, the policy caught attention on the international stage with countries hoping to increase their research and development activities despite the lack of evidence of the policy’s effectiveness. With a specific emphasis on Japan, the Philippines, and South Africa, a sequential exploratory mixed method study using the quantitative method of synthetic control analysis, and a qualitative comparative case study approach through interviews and document analysis, examines how these countries borrowed and adapted the policy to fit within their specific cultural contexts. Data analysis is framed using the Triple Helix theory, which guides the identification of a set of traits from these policies that can be used as a model for other countries to borrow and encourage trilateral partnerships. This study found that the countries of Japan, the Philippines, and South Africa are implementing a technology transfer policy with borrowed elements of the Bayh-Dole Act. As a result, the adapted policies are leveraging each countries’ respective strengths in technology transfer to form beneficial trilateral partnerships that respond to specific needs in the areas of commercialization, spin-off companies, and generating revenue.