The document is a comprehensive formal response from four major academic and research associations—the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)—to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) regarding their request for information on modernizing the Interagency Edison (iEdison) system for reporting federally funded inventions. The associations collectively represent the perspective of U.S. research universities and medical schools, many of which are direct users of iEdison, and the letter is informed by extensive feedback from their membership.
Throughout the document, the associations commend NIST’s initiative to assume responsibility for and upgrade iEdison, describing the system as outdated and plagued by insufficient funding, cumbersome reporting, non-uniform agency rules, and inconsistent experiences for users. Key themes from user feedback highlight the need for: agency-wide uniformity in reporting standards and participation; greater technical functionality, including improved user interfaces, automation, batch uploads, and integration with USPTO systems; enhanced ability to address case-specific issues, resolve error messages, and manage agency correspondence; and clearer mechanisms to distinguish between old and new Bayh-Dole regulatory requirements. Detailed recommendations are provided for reducing the administrative burden, improving consistency and clarity in compliance requirements (especially for government support clauses and confirmatory licenses), and facilitating better communication and training. The associations suggest the formation of a stakeholder advisory group to assist in systems development and testing, emphasizing their willingness to partner with NIST to ensure the updated iEdison meets the practical needs of its broad research community user base.
