The Thomas Alva Edison Visiting Scholars Program enlists the services of distinguished academic researchers to study intellectual property (IP) issues that further the agency's mission and the public interest. Since the program introduction on Jan 18, 2012, Edison Scholars have studied ways to improve USPTO's efficiency and performance, decrease burdens on applicants, and improve patent quality and clarity, among other topics. Read more about past Edison Scholars.
New Edison Scholars
The USPTO has announced the selection of five new Edison Scholars, including three Edison Research Fellows to study issues that bear on abusive patent litigation.
Expansion
The White House Task Force on High-Tech Patent Issues announced an expansion of USPTO's Edison Scholar program on June 4, 2013. This effort will bring additional academic experts to the USPTO to develop - and make available to the public - more robust data and research on patent litigation issues.
Edison Scholar Outreach
2015 Hoover Institution Conference
The USPTO Edison Scholars will be featured at an upcoming conference co-organized with the Hoover Institution's Working Group on Intellectual Property, Innovation, and Prosperity. The focus of the conference will be to discuss:
What is the Academy's Role in Evidence-Based Policy Making for Intellectual Property?
Conference panels will include past and current USPTO Edison Scholars as well as members of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and the USPTO.
When
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
2pm–5pm ET
Reception to follow
Where
Hoover Institution-DC
1399 New York Avenue, NW
5th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
More information and the conference agenda are available here.
2014 Research Webinar
The Edison Research Scholars held a webinar to share with the public their research topics and methodologies. The Scholars expect to continue this type of outreach going forward to engage the public and share information and ideas.
More Information
- 2014 Expanded Edison Program blog by USPTO Deputy Director Michelle K. Lee
- One-year Edison program anniversary blog by USPTO Acting Director Teresa Stanek Rea
- Press release announcing the program
- Most recent Call for Proposals (posted 9-3-2013)
Please direct any questions to edisonscholar@uspto.gov.