EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENT
EIRA Conference
The Eira Initiative, a project of the Berkeley Policy Institute, will hold its inaugural live event in Washington DC on October 16-17, 2025. Leading economists, legal academics, policymakers, and practitioners will assess the role played by intellectual property rights in driving innovation, entrepreneurship and investment in the U.S. biopharmaceutical ecosystem.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Event speakers
Event program
08:00-08:45 am
Breakfast and Registration
08:45-09:00 am
Opening Remarks
Bowman Heiden and Jonathan Barnett, Co-Directors, EIRA Initiative, BPI
09:00-10:30 am
Session I: Legal and Economic Fundamentals of Biopharmaceutical Innovation
Moderator/Commentator: tbd
- William Comanor, UCLA, Pharmaceutical Innovation: A Normative Economic Analysis
- Jonathan Barnett, University of Southern California, A Delicate Balance: Exclusivity and Access Instruments in the Biopharmaceutical Ecosystem
- Kristina Acri, Colorado College, The Economic Functions of Regulatory Exclusivities in Biopharmaceutical Innovation
10:30-11:00 am
Coffee/Networking Break
11:00-12:30 pm
Session II: Public Research and Private Commercialization in the Biomedical Ecosystem
Moderator/Commentator: tbd
- Scott Kieff, George Washington University, Patents and the Emergence of the U.S. Biotech Ecosystem
- Henry Grabowski, Duke University, and Genia Long, Analysis Group, Can Prizes Replace Patents?: An Economic Assessment
- Maryann Feldman, Arizona State University, Cohen-Boyer Redux: Policy Lessons from 45 Years of Technology Transfer
12:30-01:30 pm
Lunch/Keynote Address
01:30-03:00 pm
Session III: Getting the Evidence Right on IP, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
Moderator/Commentator: tbd
- Margaret Kyle, MINES Paris Tech, Potential vs. Effective Exclusivity for Pharmaceuticals in the US and Europe
- Ted Sichleman, University of San Diego, Biomedical Startups and Patenting: 17 Years Since the Berkeley Patent Survey
- Mark Schultz, University of Akron, How the Security of Patent Rights Impacts Investment in Tech Startups
03:00-03:30 pm
Coffee/Networking Break
03:30-05:00 pm
Session IV: “Evergreening” and Price Controls in Biopharmaceutical Policy
Moderator/Commentator: tbd
- Erika Lietzan, University of Missouri, The Empirical Chasm of “Evergreening”
- Adam Mossoff, George Mason University, The Use and Abuse of the Bayh-Dole Act to Impose Price Controls on Drug Patents
Chris Holman, University of Missouri, Government Involvement in Pharmaceutical Development Can Come Back to Haunt a Drug Company
Group Dinner: Time/location TBD
08:00-09:00 am
Breakfast and Registration
09:00-10:30 am
Session I: IP Policy and Strategy in AI-Enabled Drug Development
Moderator/Commentator: tbd
- Ashish Arora and Sharon Belenzon, Duke University, AI-Driven Drug Discovery: Legal Challenges in Patentability and Inventorship
- Nikhil Pradhan, Foley & Lardner LLP, Biopharmaceutical IP Strategy in AI-Enabled Drug Discovery Models
10:30-11:00 am
Coffee/Networking Break
11:00-12:30
Session II: Patents, Biotech Innovation, and Rare Diseases
Moderator/Commentator: tbd
- Meir Pugatch, University of Maastricht and Haifa University, The Bermuda Triangle of Rare Diseases, IP Protection, and Prices
- Samantha Zyontz, Boston University, IP Protection and Strategies for CRISPR DNA-Editing Research Tools
12:30-01:30 pm
Lunch/[Fireside Chat]
