Understanding What’s Happening in Washington, D.C. and Why It Matters for Tech Transfer with Mike Waring

Understanding What’s Happening in Washington, D.C. and Why It Matters for Tech Transfer with Mike Waring

From AUTM on the Air by AUTM

February 25, 2026 · 32 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of Washington D.C. policies on technology transfer and innovation with expert Mike Waring.

Policy conversations can feel distant until they land squarely on the desks of technology transfer professionals. Coming to you from the AUTM Annual Meeting in Seattle, we’re taking a closer look at what’s unfolding in Washington, D.C., and why it matters for research commercialization, patents, startups, and university innovation. My guest is someone many of you already know, Mike Waring. Mike has spent more than four decades immersed in Washington policy, beginning in broadcast journalism, then on Capitol Hill, and later as a lobbyist for a major trade association. For twenty years, he led the University of Michigan’s Washington office, working at the intersection of research, technology transfer, and intellectual property policy. He is a former AUTM Assistant Vice President for Advocacy, past chair of AUTM’s Public Policy Advisory Committee, and now AUTM’s Advocacy and Alliances Coordinator, helping guide engagement with Congress and federal agencies on the issues shaping our community. We explore the current mood toward universities and innovation, the bipartisan appetite for research and competitiveness, and the realities behind proposed policy shifts. We discuss the floated…

People in this episode

Guest: Mike Waring

Topics covered

  • Washington D.C.
  • tech transfer
  • research commercialization
  • patents
  • startups
  • university innovation
  • policy

Keywords

  • policy conversations
  • bipartisan research
  • innovation dividend
  • USPTO
  • Section 101
  • PTAB
  • PARA
  • PREVAIL
  • SBIR
  • STTR

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: This Episode

Places: Washington, D.C., Seattle, U.S., China

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