science

Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980

Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 rather than just read about it. In short: The Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (Pub.L. 96–480) (94 Stat. 2311) was the first major U.S. technology transfer law. It required federal laboratories to actively participate in and budget for technology transfer activities.

Key takeaways

Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (Pub.L. 96–480) (94 Stat. 2311) was the first major U.S. technology transfer law. It required federal laboratories to actively participate in and budget for technology transfer activities. The Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act was signed into law by U.S. President Jimmy Carter on October 21, 1980. The Stevenson–Wydler Act specifies, that inventors at government laboratories receive the first $2,000 of royalties each year plus 15% of any additional royalties. Such details are in contrast with the Bayh–Dole Act, which leaves up to the universities the decision how to split the revenue between the inventors and the institution.

Background The Act made it easier for federal laboratories to transfer technology to nonfederal entities and provided outside organizations with a means for accessing federal laboratory technologies. The primary focus of the Stevenson–Wydler Act was to disseminate information from the federal government to the public and to require federal laboratories to actively engage in the technology transfer process. The law requires laboratories to set apart a percentage of the laboratory budget specifically for technology transfer activities. The law, specified in 15 USC § 3710, also established an Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA)-- staffed by at least 1 full-time person—in any laboratory with 200 or more scientific, engineering, or related technical positions, in order to coordinate and promote technology transfer. The Act created the Technology Administration in the Commerce Department. which lasted until 2007. This Act was the first of a number of laws defining and promoting technology transfer. The law was later amended by the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 and the America COMPETES Acts.

See also Bayh–Dole Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-517) Executive Order 12999: Educational Technology Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986

References

External links Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (PDF/details) as amended in the GPO Statute Compilations collection

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980

In research: Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Technology transfer, United States federal commerce legislation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 in simple terms?

Why does Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Stevenson–Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980.