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 20^th 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 20^th 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.