Shaping ideas about global innovation through interdisciplinary research and policy leadership
Professor Jeremy de Beer holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Innovation and Intellectual Property Law. He is a globally recognized thought leader in the fields of intellectual property, technology innovation, and international trade and development.
A pioneer of international and interdisciplinary research partnerships, nearly two decades ago he and colleagues planted the seeds for a prolific collaborative partnership, which has grown into the globally renowned and award-winning Open African Innovation Research Network known as Open AIR. Learning from boots-on-ground research and mutually beneficial partnerships across Africa, this pathbreaking work is facilitating solutions to some of society’s most important challenges: pioneering models for open access to educational materials, creating regulatory environments to enhance food security, laying the groundwork for equitable access to life-saving medicines, and reimagining collaborative ways of technology innovation to fight climate change.
Professor de Beer’s research spans the disciplines of law, business, political science, international relations and public policy. As a Full Professor at the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section and faculty Member of the Centre for Law, Technology, and Society, Professor de Beer teaches a first-year introduction to property law and a specialized course on intellectual property advocacy. He also holds appointments as a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a Senior Research Associate at the University of Cape Town’s Intellectual property unit and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Johannesburg’s College of Business and Economics.
His global reputation as an expert advisor has produced collaborations with international diplomats and United Nations’ officials in Geneva, African Union leaders in Addis Ababa, and heads of agencies of the European Commission in Brussels. He has helped design national laws and policies for government and inter-governmental agencies in numerous low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South and Southeast Asia.
In addition to his work abroad, Professor de Beer is also bringing international insights home to influence Canadian law and policy. He has, for example, acted as counsel in 15 cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, and his scholarship is cited in both of the Court’s last two intellectual property decisions. His thought leadership is also shown through regular testimony to Parliamentary committees and numerous expert reports and research studies advising government departments and agencies.
In 2024, Professor de Beer was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, distinguishing him as one of Canada’s most valued and impactful scholars. The 2023 SSHRC Impact Award recognized his outstanding achievements advancing social scientific research, research training and knowledge mobilization. His exceptional contributions to research and law teaching have also been recognized with awards including the Canadian Association of Law Teachers’ Prize for Academic Excellence, the Charles B. Seton award from the Copyright Society of the USA for significant contribution to scholarship in copyright, and the uOttawa Faculty of Law’s Excellence in Graduate Supervision award.