Engelberg Center for Innovation

Engelberg Center for Innovation
Name	Engelberg Center for Innovation
Formation	2000
Type	Research center
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York City
Location	United States
Leader title	Director
Leader name	David M. Engelberg
Parent organization	Brooklyn Law School

Engelberg Center for Innovation The Engelberg Center for Innovation is a research and policy center focusing on intellectual property law, technology transfer, healthcare innovation, and startup ecosystems. Located in Brooklyn, New York City, the center engages with stakeholders from Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Tel Aviv, Shenzhen, and London to influence policy debates involving United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, United States Patent and Trademark Office, World Intellectual Property Organization, and European Patent Office. Its work intersects with scholars and practitioners associated with Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Columbia University, and Yale University.

History

Founded in 2000 at Brooklyn Law School during a period of heightened interest in biotechnology and information technology, the center emerged amid debates involving the Bayh–Dole Act, TRIPS Agreement, Bilski v. Kappos, and Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International. Early collaborators included faculty from New York University, Rutgers University, Princeton University, and Cornell University; visiting fellows from Oxford University, University of Cambridge, and University of Tokyo; and practitioners from firms such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Latham & Watkins, and Kirkland & Ellis. The center expanded through grants from foundations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and partnerships with governmental bodies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Mission and Programs

The center’s mission aligns with policy debates shaped by cases and institutions such as Diamond v. Chakrabarty, Myriad Genetics, Inc. v. Association for Molecular Pathology, Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Food and Drug Administration. Programs address intersections with biomedical research networks at Johns Hopkins University, University of California, San Francisco, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, and Mayo Clinic; technology commercialization channels at AngelList, Y Combinator, Techstars, and 500 Startups; and legal frameworks influenced by International Trade Commission, World Trade Organization, and U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence. The center publishes white papers, policy briefs, and case studies involving contributors from The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, and RAND Corporation.

Research and Initiatives

Research spans topics such as patent strategy, licensing models, and open innovation, engaging with literature and actors tied to OpenAI, Google, Apple Inc., Microsoft, and IBM. Initiatives examine translational pathways linking National Institutes of Health grants, venture capital from firms like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Accel Partners, and Kleiner Perkins, and outcomes at institutions such as Genentech, Amgen, Pfizer, and Moderna. Projects include comparative studies referencing the European Union regulatory environment, the People's Republic of China innovation system, and casework involving Tesla, Inc., SpaceX, Samsung, and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.. The center has convened symposia featuring speakers from American Bar Association, International Chamber of Commerce, World Economic Forum, and United Nations agencies.

Education and Training

The Engelberg Center offers workshops, clinics, and externships connecting students with alumni networks at Brooklyn Law School, New York University School of Law, Columbia Law School, and Fordham University School of Law. Training modules draw on curricula used by Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and MIT Sloan School of Management, and include collaborations with professional bodies such as Association of American Medical Colleges and American Intellectual Property Law Association. Clinical placements have been arranged with incubators and accelerators including Newlab, NYCEDC, CUNY, and Baruch College programs, and with corporate partners like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Biogen for practicum opportunities.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Partnerships span academic, governmental, and industry organizations: Brooklyn Law School, New York City Economic Development Corporation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, World Intellectual Property Organization, European Patent Office, Kauffman Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York. The center co-hosts conferences with Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia University, Princeton University, and University of Pennsylvania. Corporate collaborations include Google, Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, Apple Inc., Pfizer, Roche, Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Impact and Recognition

Scholarly output has been cited in briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court, in reports by the United States Congress, and in policy statements from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the World Health Organization. The center’s fellows have received awards from American Bar Association, Association of University Technology Managers, MacArthur Fellows Program, Guggenheim Fellowship, and honors from New York State Bar Association. Media coverage has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Economist, Nature (journal), Science (journal), Forbes, and Bloomberg News.

Category:Research institutes in New York City