Sung Receives NSF Grant for Dissertation Research

Posted May 3, 2018

Elie Sung, doctoral student in the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy, was recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) dissertation improvement grant (#1759991, co-PI John Walsh) presented by the Science of Science and Innovation Policy (SciSIP) program. Her research focuses on how firms and the courts jointly shape patent policy and how in turn these policies have heterogeneous impacts on the innovation of firms.  

In her research, Sung notes that the need to accommodate new technologies at an increasingly fast pace has led the judicial branch to become a key source of changes in patent policy. Over the last 30 years within a relatively static framework set by the two other branches of government, rulings by the courts on legal disputes have continuously changed the strength of patents in the U.S. In the meantime, there is still controversy regarding the impact of the patents’ strength on innovation.

Sung’s research offers a solution to advance our understanding of intellectual property policy. She examines the influence of firms on patent policymaking, given their central role in these legal disputes, while accounting for the various facets of patent strength (patentability, breadth, and ability to exclude). In addition, she analyzes the impact of these court decisions on the rate and direction of firms’ innovative activities.

Elie was awarded $31,472 to continue her dissertation research. The research is projected to be completed in May 2019.

The School of Public Policy is part of the Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

For more information on the grant, visit the NSF website.