Dole Institute announces travel grant recipient


LAWRENCE – The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas awarded the first research travel grant of the 2014-2015 granting year cycle.

Ryan Whalen, a juris doctor and doctoral candidate at Northwestern University, will receive a travel grant to support his  project, “The History of the Bayh-Dole Act’s March-In Rights and the Future of their Use,” which aims to examine the legislative intentions behind the march-in provisions of the Bayh-Dole Act. The provisions empowered federal agencies to license patents from federally funded research to third parties.

“The public record sheds little light on the background of the Bayh-Dole Act or the inspiration for the inclusion of these [march-in] provisions,” said Whalen. “The Dole Archives’ collections have the potential to help address this gap in the record.”

Whalen will visit the Dole Institute to conduct his research sometime within the 2014-2015 award year.

“The Bayh-Dole Act, or the 1980 Biotech Industry Incentives Act, is one of Senator Bob Dole’s major legislative legacies,” said Dole Archives senior archivist Audrey Coleman, “It made dramatic changes to the way new technology was brought to the marketplace, granting patent rights to the developer, which in many cases are federally supported colleges and universities.”

Established in 2010, the travel grant program provides support to scholars engaged in projects studying Congress, politics or policy issues on a national or international scale. Awards are available in amounts up to $750. Travel grants applications are accepted on a rolling basis each year, with first evaluation occurring in April, and awarded based on merit of application as well as availability of funds.

Support for this funding opportunity is generously provided by the Friends of the Dole Institute.

For more information on these or other research opportunities at the Dole Institute, visit the archives website or call (785) 864-4900.

The Robert J. Dole Archive & Special Collections at the Dole Institute of Politics is home to one of the nation’s largest collections of papers and artifacts for a nonpresidential politician.  It contains the complete records of Dole’s political and post-political career, including, correspondence, legislative research files, memoranda, speeches, press material, schedules, briefing books, and campaign files.  The archives also hold a photograph collection of over 25,000 images; an audio-visual collection; an extensive collection of oral histories; as well as collection of over 5,000 artifacts, textiles, and artworks. The collection is a window to the legislative process as well as a resource for Kansas history and a chronicle of late 20th century history and popular culture.

The Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting public service, civic engagement and politics. It is located on KU’s west campus and, in addition to the Archive & Special Collections, offers programming with world-renowned guest speakers on a variety of topics that intersect politics. All programs are free and open to the public.

Tue, 06/03/2014

author

Melanie Coen

Media Contacts

Melanie Coen

Dole Institute of Politics

785-864-1156