The 3rd Conference on Global Innovation and Intellectual Property:
Firm Strategies and Policy Challenges in a Rapidly Changing World
Shanghai, China
May 17-18, 2025
Global competition is increasingly characterized by competition for technological leadership. Meanwhile, given the increasingly prominent roles of intellectual properties (IPs), technology standards, and business platforms, the boundary between firm competitiveness and institutional infrastructure is blurring. As manifested in the recent developments around healthcare, AI, and electric vehicles, states have come to the forefront of market competition in a wide range of industries. Thus, the coordination and competition among public and private entities across nations will shape the future trajectories of the global markets.
It is in this context that we call for participation in this conference, hosted by School of Management, Fudan University in their brand-new Zhengli Campus, and co-sponsored by the McDonnel International Scholars Academy, Washington University in St. Louis, and Guanghua School of Management, Peking University.
Among other topics, we would like to engage in in-depth, cross-disciplinary discussion on the following:
- Finding facts: What are the realities on the ground and what are the important trends that may shed light to the future? Many public discussions so far are based on entrenched opinions and stereotypical views. We are providing a public good if we can simply identify the facts and establish robust explanations for these facts.
- Understanding complexities: Is strong IP protection always good? Is knowledge outflow always bad? To what extent do our understanding about IP, derived mostly from domestic settings, still hold in the context of global competition? What is the right level of indigenous innovation in light of the interdependence-and associated vulnerabilities-in the global economy?
- Developing toolboxes: Besides filing for patents, what are the tools businesses can use to navigate the risky R&D processes, both within and across countries? Besides strengthening the IP courts, what are the tools that policy makers can use to motivate innovation while reducing systematic risk? Will big data and AI help firms see the competitive landscape more clearly?
This conference will have two components:
- Academic discussions, taking stock of what we know and brainstorming on what academia can do to facilitate our understanding on global innovation and IP. We will select 8-10 papers for in-depth discussion.
- Interaction with business executives, IP lawyers, and policy makers, featuring keynote speeches and panel discussions. We will also have industry-specific themes (e.g., healthcare, autonomous driving) for more focused discussion. This is an opportunity for practitioners to learn about new research and for researchers to receive reality check on their work.
Scholars interested in presenting at the conference should send an extended research proposal or working paper to Minyuan Zhao (minyuan@wustl.edu) no later than January 31, 2025. Decisions on paper acceptance will be sent out before March 1, 2025. General registration will be open in March.
Confirmed academic speakers include Karin Beukel (University of Copenhagen), Hanming Fang (University of Pennsylvania), Javier Gimeno (INSEAD), Isin Gular (UNC-Chapel Hill), Can Huang (Zhejiang University), Wenlong He (Renmin University), Anne Marie Knott (WashU), Jeho Lee (Seoul National University), Catherine Magelssen (London Business School), Ivan Png (National University of Singapore), Tony Tong (University of Colorado-Boulder), Alex Wang (Fudan University), Yanbo Wang (Hong Kong University), Mingtao Xu (Tsinghua University), Bernard Yeung (SUSTech and NUS), Yanfeng Zheng (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Weiguo Zhong (Peking University), and Maggie Zhou (University of Michigan). Papers selected for presentation will receive quality discussions by leading scholars and we will provide up to two nights of accommodation for the presenting author.
Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
Co-organizers:
Changqi Wu (School of Management, Shandong University)
Minyuan Zhao (Olin School of Business, WashU)
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Minyuan Zhao
Associate Professor
Washington University in St. Louis
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