Browsing by Subject "patents"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Collaboration Networks, Structural Holes, And Innovation: A Longitudinal Study
(2000-09) Ahuja, G.; Ahuja, Gautam
To assess the effects of a firm's network of relations on innovation, this paper elaborates a theoretical framework that relates three aspects of a firm's ego network-direct ties, indirect ties, and structural holes (disconnections between a firm's partners)-to the firm's subsequent innovation output. It posits that direct and indirect ties both have a positive impact on innovation but that the impact of indirect ties is moderated by the number of a firm's direct ties. Structural holes are proposed to have both positive and negative influences on subsequent innovation. Results from a longitudinal study of firms in the international chemicals industry indicate support for the predictions on direct and indirect ties, but in the interfirm collaboration network, increasing structural holes has a negative effect on innovation. Among the implications for interorganizational network theory is that the optimal structure of interfirm networks depends on the objectives of the network members.
Dell Medical School Impact on Innovation: Biomedical and Life Sciences
(2022) Kellison, Bruce; Kammer-Kerwick, Matt; Pogue, Gregory; Jarrett, James; Sternberg, Jeff; Takasaki, Kara; Oomman, Adriann
Innovating new ideas, products and technologies is a key goal and among the top outcomes of any medical school. When it launched in 2014, Dell Med’s inaugural dean talked often about innovative new approaches to its life sciences, education and community health initiatives. The BBR research team has employed a mixed-methods approach to analyzing, quantifying and presenting innovation outcomes from Dell Med. This report is a synthesis of interviews (see Appendix for interview list) with key personnel at Dell Med and UT Austin involved in translating research into innovations that can be commercialized, as well analysis of data provided by UT Austin’s Office of Technology Commercialization. By exploring quantitative data and qualitative responses from key stakeholders, an important role for Dell Med is defined in the innovation ecosystem both on the UT campus and in Central Texas. Further, the case study presented in this report, plus findings from the Central Texas Life Sciences focus group and an associated survey, illustrate the impact that Dell Med has already had in just over eight years since its launch.
Edison to AI: Intellectual Property in AI-Driven Drug R&D
(2023-05) Turner, Zak
In 2019, the inventor Stephen Thaler filed a patent on two inventions in which he listed his AI program, Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience (DABUS), as the inventor. The US Patent and Trademark Office rejected Thaler’s applications and, in 2022, a US Federal Court of Appeals upheld this decision on the grounds that an inventor must be a human being. Although this decision is perhaps consistent with the law, a refusal to patent AI-inventions could have negative consequences for innovation. This thesis examines the question of IP policy toward AI-inventions through the prism of pharmaceutical drugs. The question is: how should AI-designed drugs be treated by US IP law? There are two smaller questions involved here. First, who, if anyone, should be recognized as the inventors for inventions created by AI. Second, is there a justification for IP rights in AI inventions? In attempting to answer these questions, this paper focuses on two AI- driven pharmaceutical companies, Insilico and Recursion. I then compare the data and models from the two firms against the arguments made regarding patent policy for AI-inventions in three scholarly works. My conclusion is that extending FDA market exclusivity privileges to AI-produced drugs is preferable to extending patent protections.