Robert Atkinson

March 18, 2022

As founder and president of ITIF, recognized as the world’s top think tank for science and technology policy, Rob Atkinson leads a prolific team of policy analysts that is successfully shaping the debate and setting the agenda on a host of critical issues at the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. During the Obama administration he served as co-chair of the White House U.S. China Innovation Experts Group, and is the author of numerous books, including Big is Beautiful: Debunking the Mythology of Small Business (MIT Press, 2018).

Understanding the U.S. Biopharmaceutical Innovation Ecosystem

August 15, 2024

By Sujai Shivakumar, Tisyaketu Sirkar, and Jeffrey Depp Introduction The biopharmaceutical innovation system—which brings novel, life-improving, and life-saving therapies from the researcher’s bench to a patient’s bedside—is a major engine powering health improvements, economic output, and wealth creation in the United States. But while the commercial and national security competition with China has

Explainer: Standard Essential Patents and National Security

July 10, 2024

By Christopher Borges Technology standards are a critical domain of international cooperation and competition in high technology. Standards create a common language for communication about technology and innovation, allowing firms to collaborate and develop interoperable products. At the same time, for some critical and emerging technologies such as telecommunications and artificial

Assessing the Patent and Trademark Office’s Inventorship Guidance for AI-Assisted Inventions

June 3, 2024

By Alexander Kersten As new applications of artificial intelligence (AI) become more sophisticated, AI tools are increasingly used to assist in the process of invention. However, given that inventorship is limited to natural persons under U.S. law, AI’s growing utilization has raised questions around whether AI-assisted inventions should receive patents,