Call for Applications for 2025-2026 Thomas Edison Innovation Law and Policy Fellowships

The Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy (C-IP²) at George Mason University – Antonin Scalia Law School invites applications for a non-resident fellowship program. The Thomas Edison Innovation Law and Policy Fellowship program is designed to develop rigorous scholarship on intellectual property (IP), creativity, and innovation law and policy.

Submission Deadline: Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (5:00 PM EST)
Submit Applications to: [email protected]
Submit Questions to: [email protected]

The Fellowship promotes excellent academic research about IP and related rights in the innovative and creative communities. The program consists of a series of three (3) invitation-only meetings over the course of a year. Fellows are required to attend the entirety of all three roundtables, and attendance is a material condition of a Fellowship. Over the course of these meetings, Edison Fellows work under the guidance of Distinguished Commentators and with each other to turn paper ideas into polished manuscripts publishable in law reviews or other academic journals. The Fellowship is designed primarily for tenure-track professors and for lawyers and Ph.D. graduates interested in academic positions focusing on research in IP, creativity, and innovation. C-IP² also considers applications from recently tenured academics and from practitioners interested in writing about IP, creativity, or innovation policy.

FELLOWSHIP DETAILS: C-IP² will provide lodging (unless participants are local) and meals at all in-person meetings. Fellows must arrange their own transportation, which will be reimbursed following the meeting and details specified in advance. However, Fellows that do not have U.S. citizenship cannot be reimbursed but may utilize C-IP²’s travel agent, at no cost to them. Fellows will receive an honorarium of three thousand (US $3,000) dollars upon completion of the Fellowship requirements, as set out below. Should the Fellowship end up not taking place over the 2025-2026 timeframe, accepted applicants will automatically have a place in the 2026-2027 cohort.

1. SUBMISSION OF PAPER PROPOSALS – SUBMISSION DEADLINE OF C.O.B. 5:00 P.M. EST, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2024: Proposals should include a statement of the issue to be addressed, the proposed methodology, and the feasibility for completion by January 2026. Proposals should be no longer than five (5) pages. C-IP² will notify those chosen to present their proposals at the initial March roundtable by C.O.B. 5:00 P.M. EST on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2024.
2. PRESENTATION OF PAPER PROPOSAL AT A RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE (LOCATION TBA) ON MARCH 19-20, 2025: Fellows will present their proposals at a research roundtable held on March 19-20, 2025. Each proposal will be reviewed by Distinguished Commentators and Fellows to provide constructive feedback at the roundtable.
3. PRESENTATION OF FIRST DRAFT AT A RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE (LOCATION TBA) ON SEPTEMBER 17-18, 2025: Each Fellow is required to submit a First Draft of their paper E.O.D. SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2025. Each First Draft will be reviewed by Distinguished Commentators and Fellows to provide constructive feedback at the roundtable.
4. PRESENTATION OF SECOND DRAFT AT A RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE (LOCATION TBA) ON JANUARY 21-22, 2026: Each Fellow is required to submit a Second Draft of their paper by E.O.D., SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2026. These drafts should be substantially revised from those presented at the September research roundtable. Ideally, Second Drafts will be essentially ready for journal submission. At a minimum, Second Drafts must state a clear thesis and argument, identify an important contribution to relevant scholarship, and demonstrate substantial progress at incorporating feedback received on First Drafts.
5. COMPLETION OF FINAL DRAFT AND SUBMISSION TO AN ACADEMIC JOURNAL (FEBRUARY-MARCH 2026): Following presentation of their Second Draft, Fellows are expected to make final revisions to their papers and submit them for publication in a suitable academic journal. Upon completion of this requirement, Fellows will receive the honorarium.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To apply to be a C-IP² Edison Fellow, please email your application to [email protected]. All proposals are treated confidentially. Applications must include: 1) a research proposal (max 5 pages); 2) your CV and/or resume that includes current mailing address; 3) confirmation of current citizenship, VISA status, dates of VISA, and sponsoring institution (if applicable); 4) completed and signed Agreement (see below); and 5) anything else you think would be helpful. Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Submit the proposal application (research proposal, CV/resume, citizenship and VISA information, anything else helpful) as a single PDF file, titled “Last Name, First Name – Edison Application – date of submission” and send the signed agreement PDF separately as “Agreement – Last Name, First Name – date of submission.”

FURTHER INFORMATION: For more information regarding this program or other initiatives of C-IP², please visit https://cip2.gmu.edu/ or reach out to C-IP² Interim Executive Director Joshua Kresh.