Invitation for applications for the Shamnad Basheer IP/Trade Fellowship at the Texas A&M University School of Law

It has been less than three weeks since the death of Shamnad Basheer, and his loss weighs heavily on many of us in the IP world. Against this pain, this Kat is honored to be able to inform Kat readers that the Association for Accessible Medicines, in collaboration with the Texas A&M University School of Law, invite applications for the Shamnad Basheer IP/Trade Fellowship.

The fellow will work closely with Professor Srividhya Ragavan of the Texas A&M University School of Law and Jonathan Kimball of the Association for Accessible Medicines to produce a white paper that examines the Special 301 submissions of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The fellow will evaluate the submissions’ role and impact on USTR policymaking.

In particular, the fellow will be asked to consider the consistency of such policymaking with the approach to intellectual property protection and enforcement outlined in the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (Trade Promotion Authority) and the May 10 Agreement concerning international trade negotiations and access to healthcare and pharmaceutical innovation.

Eligibility: Researchers of all ranks are eligible to apply for the fellowship. All applicants must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest, including past employment with, consultation for, or ownership of any substantial financial interest in any company or organization that would benefit from their white paper.

Terms: The fellowship will be for a period of three months, extendable to up to five months. The opinions and conclusions contained in the white paper are the fellow’s sole responsibility and do not reflect the views of Texas A&M University School of Law.

The Shamnad Basheer IP/Trade Fellow will receive a stipend of $10,000, subject to the following requirements:

a) Prepare and submit to the Texas A&M University School of Law a white paper addressing the foregoing questions and expressing the views of the researcher in this regard;

b) Spend up to five days in residence at the Texas A&M University School of Law, presenting the white paper to faculty and students; and

c) Present the paper at a policy forum in Washington, D.C.

Note: In addition to the stipend, the Texas A&M University School of Law will cover reasonable travel and lodging expenses for the law school residency, up to $2,000. The Law School will further cover the travel, lodging, and food expenses for the visiting fellow’s travel to Washington, D.C.

Applications: Applications, not to exceed 300 words and outlining the candidate’s interest and highlighting any relevant past work, should be submitted, along with a curriculum vitae, to Ms. Lori Bacon (lbacon@law.tamu.edu) along with the subject line Shamnad Basheer Fellowship, by no later than September 15, 2019.

Questions may be directed to Professor Srividhya Ragavan, at ragavan.sri@tamu.edu.