Follow-up Review of Public Health Service Controls Over Technology Transfers and Royalty Income

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

This final report points out that the Public Health Service (PHS) implemented five recommendations made in our prior report. Specifically, PHS: (1) centralized the technology transfer function by designating the National Institutes of Health as lead agency for the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 in the PHS, effective June 7, 1994; (2) established procedures to ensure that valuable foreign patent rights are obtained and filed in a timely manner; (3) completed a reconciliation of patent applications; (4) declared a material weakness in the FY 1993 FMFIA report; and (5) conducted a detailed internal control review of technology transfer activities. Since our review determined that PHS took appropriate corrective actions, we have no additional recommendations to make.

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