Advanced Fossil Energy, Licensing of Patented Laboratory Inventions and Considerations for Maintaining US Competitiveness in Potentially Transformational Research Areas

The government documents included in this book are comprised of reports and testimonies from June 2018 to September 2018 on research and development in the United States. The first report examines research and development projects started from 2010 through 2017 on advanced fossil energy. For over 100 years, three fossil fuel sources -- coal, oil and natural gas -- have made up at least 80% of total US energy consumption. While fossil fuels are associated with some negative environmental impacts - such as carbon dioxide emissions, the predominance of coal, oil and natural gas is likely to continue into the future. The second report focuses on considerations for maintaining US competitiveness in Quantum Computing, Synthetic Biology and other potentially transformational research advances. Federal support in such areas can accelerate innovation and drive technological advances and promote US competitiveness in the global economy. The third and final report focuses on additional actions needed to improve licensing of patented laboratory inventions. The GAO was asked to review agency practices for managing inventions developed at federal labs, with a particular focus on patent licensing. This report examines the challenges in licensing patents and steps take to address and report them.