Commerce Secretary Calls for 50 Percent Federal Share of University Patent Profits

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said it is unfair that taxpayers fund research at universities without direct financial return.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testifies before a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, on June 5, 2025. Leah Millis /Reuters

The federal government should receive half of the money generated from patents developed at universities with federal research funding, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said this week.

In a segment of a soon-to-be aired interview with Axios, Lutnick said that taxpayers deserve a direct financial return when tax dollar-funded research leads to lucrative inventions.