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Call for Papers – IP PhD conference by the Institute of Brand and Innovation Law (University College London)

Alina Trapova (University College London)

November 24, 2023

Many of us who have done a PhD, remember that time around the beginning of the second year when anxiety and insecurity start substituting the passion and enthusiasm. We all needed a safe space and a friendly encouraging forum to reassure us that having your own research project is a worthwhile endeavour. To help inspire junior IP researchers in this, the UCL Institute of Brand and Innovation Law (IBIL) invites applications from PhD students engaged in intellectual property research to present a 'work in progress' paper at its PhD conference on 26 June 2024. This free, in-person event provides a forum for IP PhD students to discuss their research in a friendly and supportive environment while meeting others researching similar topics.

There will be a prize for the best conference paper, and those who have presented will also have the opportunity to submit their paper to UCL Laws' open access, peer-reviewed journal, the UCL Journal of Law and Jurisprudence.

Applications from those interested in presenting a research paper at the conference must be submitted no later than 5pm (GMT) on 5 January 2024.

Who should apply?

Applications are welcome in all fields of intellectual property law, including those adopting doctrinal, philosophical, economic, empirical, and other research methodologies. While PhD researchers from all stages are welcome to attend and participate in the conference, the specific target for this call is for PhD researchers who will have completed at least the 2nd year of their PhD (or part-time equivalent) by the conference date in June 2024.

At a later date, we will issue a call for those who are interested in submitting an entry for our research poster exhibition which would better suit those in an earlier stage of their PhD research.

Goals and Conference Format

This conference aims to facilitate close discussion and exchange of knowledge between PhD students and more senior academics in an open and inclusive environment. Notably, speakers selected for this event will be individually paired with an established academic discussant undertaking research in the same IP field. The aim is that those presenting will benefit from expert feedback and advice to assist their ongoing research and writing, as well as facilitating fruitful discussion at the conference.

The call is for papers that are still 'works in progress' e.g., a draft PhD chapter or a draft article intended for publication. The idea is that there will still be time for feedback received at the conference to be incorporated into the 'final' form of the work. Those making an application should ensure that they will be ready to submit a full paper in April 2024, i.e., a full two months in advance of the conference date in June. We encourage all applicants to discuss their potential participation with their supervisor(s) before applying.

Further details on how to apply, provisional paper guidelines, poster exhibition and others can be found here. If you have any questions about the conference or the application process, please contact Alina Shchetinina at: [email protected] using ‘IBIL PhD Conference 2024’ as the subject.