Call for Papers
EPIP 2025 Call for Papers
We invite researchers at all stages of their careers (PhD researchers to senior scholars), practitioners, and representatives of policymakers and stakeholders interested in the economic, legal, philosophical, and political aspects of intellectual property (IP) to submit papers for the 20th EPIP Annual Conference, to be held in Antwerp, Belgium from 10 to 12 September 2025.
This conference will explore the historical perspectives, present realities, and future trajectories of IP, innovation, and technology, uniting a diverse group of experts. We welcome individuals from various disciplines, including the fields of economics, law, management science, anthropology, history, and political science, as well as stakeholders and policymakers for theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented presentations and discussions on the intersection of IP, innovation, and technology.
Participants will have an opportunity to engage in discussions and presentations that touch on a wide range of issues, articulated around (1) the overarching theme of the conference, and (2) other leading themes and topics.
Submissions from all disciplines on all IP-related topics are welcome.
Overarching theme
Turning IP Ambitions into Action: Creating Connections, Collaborations, and Communities
Join us as we explore the evolutions related to IP in the context of global societal challenges. Indeed, challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and geopolitical tensions, are reshaping the IP landscape. As these challenges intertwine and amplify their normative, societal, and economic effects, the role of IP becomes increasingly critical. The risk of poly-crises, where multiple crises converge and exacerbate each other, further underscores the need to think about a more resilient and adaptive IP system.
As stimulating R&D, innovation, and creativity are at the heart of our IP systems, IP frameworks are set to play a key role in the setting up of a future-proof agenda that balances the interests of rights holders and users. While reaching a consensus regarding the precise role, objectives, and rationale of IP law is unlikely due to diverse stakeholder interests, nonetheless, societal transitions demand that we must translate IP ambitions into action. To do this, societies must take the essential steps of fostering meaningful connections, establishing effective collaborations, and building strong communities.
The theme of the 20th EPIP Annual Conference has been deliberately selected to ensure that the conference will be held under a more general thematic umbrella to enable us to address topics that are societally relevant and inspiring, thought-provoking, and capable of addressing a broad variety of research interests within the EPIP community. We hope that such a broad thematic scope will also encourage the participation of researchers from various disciplines that go beyond the traditional EPIP realms. Multi-disciplinarity is essential for addressing poly-crises by talking to each other, collaborating, and solving problems together instead of speaking in silos and echo chambers of our respective disciplines.
Linking to the conference theme and building on long-standing lines and areas of interest traditionally covered by EPIP conferences, we invite submissions of full papers and abstracts, special and themed sessions, and for the organisation of plenary sessions for the following leading themes and topics.
Leading Themes and Topics
We invite submissions on a wide range of leading themes, including but not limited to the following topics:
• IP & gene editing
• IP & quantum science
• IP & AI
• Business models and IP strategies for new technologies
• IP & climate change mitigation
• IP & access to medicines and health care
• IP, dual use & war
• IP law in crisis
• The role of IP offices in IP and innovation ecosystems
• IP dispute resolution, specialised courts, and ADR
• Rethinking copyright collection societies
• IP & collaborative models and standardisation
• IP & Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• IP & green innovation and the circular economy
• IP & access and benefit sharing
• IP & technology transfer
• IP, intersectionality, & vulnerability
• IP and non-discrimination
• IP, innovation, & gender gaps
• IP & human rights
• IP as an incentive or disincentive for innovation
• IP & open innovation
• IP & access to culture and science
• Strategic IP management
• IP & decolonisation
• IP, power asymmetries, & platforms
• IP, traditional knowledge, & indigenous communities
• IP for SMEs
• Digital archiving
• Crafts, know-how, and innovation
• IP, artists, & crafters
• IP, innovation, architecture, and resilient cultural heritage
Special Sessions
As in previous editions, the EPIP 20th Annual Conference will host ‘Special Sessions’ open to submissions. Applicants interested in applying for a Special Session should indicate this during the submission process by ticking the relevant box. Please note that the deadline for submissions to Special Sessions is the same as for the other sessions. However, abstracts and papers will be processed and evaluated separately from the regular review process by the Special Session organisers.
One of the Special Sessions is organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Submissions admitted thereto may be eligible for conference participation support (e.g., travel and conference fees). Support will be given on a limited budget basis, and priority will be given to contributions from developing countries.
Call abstract
The economic literature highlights persistent diversity gaps in innovation, particularly in patenting and IP protection. Women, ethnic minorities, and individuals from low-income backgrounds remain significantly underrepresented in these fields. As a result, the innovation ecosystem fails to fully harness diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas - limiting creative potential and underutilising human resources for innovation. These disparities carry profound policy implications, affecting the innovation ecosystems’ ability to foster inclusive economic growth and tackle global challenges effectively.
As in previous editions, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will sponsor a special session on “Gender and Diversity in IP and Innovation”.
This session aims to bring together new empirical research shedding light on gender and other diversity imbalances throughout the stages of the inventors and creators’ careers.
This call invites submissions that relate to topics such as:
· Gender balance and diversity in the IP system
· Barriers to IP and innovation participation for women and other underrepresented groups
· Measuring the IP gender and diversity gap
· Gender and diversity policies impact evaluation
· Gender and diversity gap in entrepreneurship and innovation
· Impact of institutional environments to the scientific/technological gender gap
· Impact of corporate and societal cultures in gender gap
Organisers: Carlotta Nani, Julio Raffo, and Carsten Fink, WIPO Department of Economics and Data Analytics (DEDA)
Call abstract
The intersection of IP and access to health technologies—such as medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, personal protective equipment, digital health technologies, and medical devices and equipment—has long been a subject of academic and policy debate. While some argue that IP has been instrumental in fostering innovation and, ultimately, improving access to health technologies, others contend that its current implementation often obstructs public health objectives, demanding significant reforms, including the strategic use of TRIPS flexibilities. Finally, a growing body of scholarship further questions whether the IP system has failed to deliver on its promises or was never intended to serve as a driver of equitable innovation, leading some to advocate for its abolition and the exploration of alternative models.
Though this debate is not new, it has evolved dynamically in response to profound geopolitical shifts, rapid technological advancements, and public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. These developments have intensified existing tensions while also raising new, pressing questions about the role of IP in global health.
This session seeks to bring together cutting-edge research that investigates the structural causes, consequences, and potential solutions to the challenges posed by IP in the context of access to health technologies. We welcome empirical and theoretical contributions from a range of disciplines, including law, economics, public policy, and global health.
This call invites submissions that relate to topics such as:
· The role of IP in public health emergencies (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, antimicrobial resistance, future pandemic preparedness)
· Alternative frameworks to the current IP system for incentivising innovation and ensuring equitable access
· The governance of IP in global health, including the role of the WHO, WTO, WIPO, and regional organisations
· The role of civil society and social movements in shaping IP and access to health technology policies
· The role of data exclusivity, market exclusivity, and regulatory monopolies in shaping access to health technologies
· The future of compulsory licensing mechanisms and the effectiveness of voluntary licensing mechanisms in expanding access to health technologies
· The role of indigenous knowledge and traditional medicine in health innovation and the challenges of biopiracy and benefit-sharing under IP frameworks
Organisers: EPIP2025 Organising Team, in particular Alan Silva, Julia Wijns, and Esther van Zimmeren, University of Antwerp
Call abstract
The Intellectual Property (IP) dispute resolution landscape is rapidly changing due to factors such as increase in technological complexity, growing integration of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms into court systems, and the general rise in litigation and IP enforcement. While courts occupy a key position in IP enforcement, ADR mechanisms have emerged as complementary tools, leading to a re-evaluation of dispute resolution strategies. IP actors are increasingly viewing ADR mechanisms not just as alternatives to litigation, but as instruments for building trust, fostering collaboration, and maintaining business relationships.
This raises several fundamental questions about the role of dispute resolution in IP: what role do courts play in relation to ADR, and vice versa? What role do different IP actors (i.e., users, rights-holders, companies, etc.) have in shaping IP dispute resolution mechanisms? How can these systems adapt to handle complex disputes while ensuring accessibility, justice, and fairness?
This special session seeks to examine the evolving role of dispute resolution mechanisms in IP through multiple methodological lenses, including empirical, theoretical, and mixed-methods.
This call invites submissions that relate to topics such as:
· Trust and Institutional Design in IP Dispute Resolution
· Novel institutions of IP dispute resolution mechanisms, e.g., specialised IP courts, integration of ADR systems into courts
· ADR mechanisms for Standard Essential Patent (SEP) disputes
· Creating fair and equitable dispute resolution mechanisms on digital content platforms (e.g., Spotify, YouTube)
· Adapting dispute resolution frameworks for new challenges such as AI-generated content
· Author-publisher dispute resolution frameworks: toward an equitable publishing industry
· Dispute resolution mechanisms and innovation
Organisers: EPIP2025 Organising Team, in particular Daanish Naithani, Seun Lari-Williams, and Esther van Zimmeren, University of Antwerp
