Implementation of the Technology Transfer Act: A Preliminary Assessment

GAO discussed the implementation of its data collection system for technology transfer and demonstrated the feasibility of using that system to determine the impact of the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986. GAO found that: (1) its data collection system would provide Congress and the administration with extensive data covering federal agencies and their laboratories; (2) the system could provide more comparable and representative data related to the act's implementation than was previously available; and (3) these data should provide a baseline for assessing improvements in the act's implementation. GAO believes that: (1) its system is viable for collecting, synthesizing, managing and reporting information on technology transfer activities; and (2) agencies' and laboratories' implementation of the act needs improvement.