From Wednesday 10 to Friday 12 September 2025, the University of Antwerp Faculty of Law is hosting the 2025 Annual Conference of EPIP, the European Policy for Intellectual Property Association. In light of the good relations between the University of Antwerp and Ghent University, team GIPLI is happy to assist in the organisation of this international event.

The conference will bring together scholars from various disciplines, including the fields of economics, law, management science and political science, as well as stakeholders and policymakers for theoretical, empirical and policy-oriented presentations and discussions on intellectual property (IP) protection, science and innovation. Join EPIP as the conference will explore the evolutions related to IP in the context of global societal challenges:

Concurrent multifaceted shocks, deeply interconnected risks and eroding trust and resilience are giving rise to concerns about the risk of poly-crises, where disparate crises interact such that the overall impact far exceeds the sum of each crisis. World leaders have expressed hope that technological innovation will help to defeat these crises. As stimulating research and development, innovation and creativity are at the heart of our IP systems, IP rights are set to play a key role. Consensus regarding the role, objectives and rationale of IP law is, however, unlikely in view of the dispersed interests and viewpoints amongst different stakeholders and within academia. Nonetheless, societal transitions require that IP ambitions are turned into action, which is only possible by fostering meaningful connections, by setting up effective collaborations between different actors and by building communities.

The call for papers is now open, and will close on 30 April 2025. In addition to the conference, a PhD workshop will be organised in the morning of 10 September. More information is available on the conference website.