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  3. We may do something with the best of intentions, and sometimes even accomplish the good toward which we aim. Yet, at the same ti

We may do something with the best of intentions, and sometimes even accomplish the good toward which we aim. Yet, at the same ti

admin2014-06-13  60
问题     We may do something with the best of intentions, and sometimes even accomplish the good toward which we aim. Yet, at the same time, we are all too often surprised by results that didn’t occur to us beforehand. The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 started out with the best of intentions. But now it is under increasing scrutiny by swelling ranks of critics. The primary concern is that its original intent — to infuse the American marketplace with the fruits of academic innovation — has distorted the fundamental mission of universities.
    In the past, discovery for its own sake provided academic motivation, but today’s universities function more like corporate research laboratories. Rather than freely sharing techniques and results, researchers increasingly keep new findings under wraps to maintain a competitive edge. What used to be peer-reviewed is now proprietary. "Share and share alike" has degenerated into "every laboratory for itself. "
    "Bayh-Dole tore down the taboos that existed against universities engaging in overtly commercial activity. Universities really thought that they were going to make it rich," said Jennifer Wasrhburn, author of "University Inc. : The Corporate Corruption of Higher Education". "Each school was convinced that if they came up with that one blockbuster invention, they could solve all their financial problems. "
    Ms. Washburn says that was "extremely wrong-headed. " Initially reacting to the law by slapping patents on every possible innovation, universities quickly discovered that patents were an expensive proposition. The fees and legal costs involved in obtaining a single patent can run upward of $ 15,000, and that doesn’t count the salaries of administrative staff members. Instead of bringing home the bacon, university tech transfer offices were throwing money into the void with little hope of returns.
    To date, Ms. Washburn says, data gathered by the Association of University Technology Managers show that fewer than half of the 300 research universities actively seeking patents have managed to break even from technology transfer efforts. Instead, two-thirds of the revenue tracked by the association has gone to only 13 institutions.
    Part of the problem has been a lingering misunderstanding about where the value lies in innovation. Patenting a new basic science technique, or platform technology, puts it out of the reach of graduate students who might have made tremendous progress using it. Similarly, exclusive licensing of a discovery to a single company thwarts that innovation’s use in any number of other fields.
    The issue is further clouded by "reach through" licenses, complex arrangements used by many tech transfer offices. A reach-through lets the patent holder claim a share of any profits that result from using, say, an enabling technology, even if those profits come several steps down the market transfer line.
    Perhaps the most troublesome aspect of campus commercialization is that research decisions are now being based on possible profits, not on the inherent value of knowledge. "Blue sky" research — the kind of basic experimentation that leads to a greater understanding of how the world works — has largely been set aside in favor of projects considered to have more immediate market potential. In academia’s continuing pursuit of profit, the wonder of simple serendipitous discovery has been left on the curb. [510 words]
According to Ms. Washburn, for most universities, patenting their innovations______.
选项 A、has proved to be cost-ineffective
B、has strengthened their competitiveness
C、has benefited their academic research
D、has relieved their financial difficulties
答案A
解析 本题考查文中人物观点。
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