• The Trump administration threatens to seize Harvard's patents derived from federally funded research.
• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick cites breaches of the Bayh-Dole Act.
• Harvard is under investigation for patent compliance and potential forfeiture of federal funding.
• Harvard has until September 5 to disclose all relevant patent information.
• This move marks an escalation in tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard University.

The Trump administration has initiated a comprehensive review of Harvard University's management of patents related to federally funded research, threatening to take control of these assets if the university fails to comply with federal requirements. In a letter to President Alan Garber, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed that Harvard is "in breach of the statutory, regulatory, and contractual requirements" linked to its research programs, prompting the investigation under the Bayh-Dole Act, a law ensuring that American taxpayers benefit from federally funded innovations, according to Reuters, CBS News, and India Times.

Lutnick demanded that Harvard provide a comprehensive report detailing all patents and their use stemming from federally funded research by September 5. The investigation addresses the allegations that Harvard has not adequately disclosed inventions or ensured substantial U.S. manufacturing for technologies developed with federal support. This scrutiny extends to a valuable portfolio potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars, mandating compliance under the Bayh-Dole Act's provisions, as reported by Reuters, CBS News, and India Times.

This investigation comes as part of an escalating conflict between the Trump administration and Harvard, which has faced several federal funding freezes and other sanctions during the administration's tenure. Notably, reports indicate that the federal government has suspended over $2 billion in research funding to Harvard, citing various compliance issues, including accusations of collusion among Ivy League institutions, according to Reuters, CBS News, India Times, and Times of India.