IMC Research Conference (IMC-IRC) 2026 Gains Momentum; Over 250 Scholars Register, Abstract Submission Deadline Extended

IMC-IRC: India’s Only Research Conference on Management Education
IMC-IRC was launched in 2024 in partnership with XLRI Jamshedpur, one of India’s oldest and most respected management institutions. The motivation was a clear gap in the Indian management education ecosystem. While management learning and education had evolved into a distinct scholarly field globally, with its own body of knowledge and dedicated journals such as the Academy of Management Learning & Education (AMLE), Journal of Management Education (JME), and International Journal of Management Education (IJME), India did not have a dedicated research forum for this domain until 2024.

The inaugural IMC-IRC 2024 was held on September 20-21, 2024 at XLRI Jamshedpur during the 14th IMC. It drew more than 150 authors from 9 IIMs, XLRI, SPJIMR, NMIMS, IRMA, and other leading institutions. Forty papers were selected from approximately 150 submissions and presented across six tracks. Several papers were subsequently published in reputed Scopus-indexed journals. IMC-IRC 2025 built on this foundation at the 15th IMC hosted by IIFT New Delhi. 

With IIM Lucknow as the 2026 host, IMC-IRC enters its third year with deeper institutional engagement and growing recognition as the definitive forum for management education research.

IMC-IRC 2026 Theme & Tracks
IMC-IRC 2026 is anchored on the overarching theme of “Emerging Trends in Management Education: Inquiry, Insight, Impact”. The theme reflects three interconnected scholarly aspirations. Inquiry speaks to the rigour and originality of the questions being asked. Insight speaks to the depth of understanding the research generates. Impact speaks to the relevance of the work for B-school leaders, policymakers, and practitioners building the future of Indian management education. The broad theme invites scholarship covering the AI transition, the redesign of curriculum and pedagogy, the evolution of competencies and employability, and the ethical questions that confront business schools in India and globally. 

Papers for IMC-IRC 2026 are invited across five interrelated tracks. Each track is led by a distinguished Track Chair who curates presentations and provides expert feedback during the conference.

• Track 1: Impact of AI and Digital Technologies on Businesses, Organisations, Work, and Jobs
  Examines how AI and digital technologies are reshaping businesses, the future of work, organisational transformation, workforce reskilling, and the changing nature of managerial roles.
• Track 2: AI-Enabled Curriculum, Pedagogy, Learning, and Engagement 
  Explores how AI is transforming management education, including new approaches to curriculum design, GenAI in classrooms, adaptive learning, AI-driven assessment, and student engagement models.
• Track 3: Teaching Methodologies and Pedagogical Innovation 
  Examines pedagogical innovation that enhances learning outcomes, including case-based teaching, experiential learning, simulations, flipped classrooms, internships, business games, and project-based learning.
• Track 4: Academic Processes, Quality, Ethics, and Internationalisation of Management Education
  Examines academic processes, quality assurance, ethics, accreditation, ranking frameworks, cross-border collaborations, foreign campuses in India, student mobility, and institutional competitiveness.
• Track 5: Competencies, Employability, Career Advancement, and Entrepreneurship
  Examines the managerial competencies and employability skills expected of MBA graduates, the alignment between academic programmes and industry demand, career services, industry-academia engagement, and entrepreneurship education.

Papers on other areas of business and management education are also welcome. The final track structure will be confirmed after the abstract submission process.

Publication Pathways: Scopus-Indexed Partner Journals
IMC-IRC shall facilitate the publication of high quality papers from participating authors. Selected papers from IMC-IRC 2026 shall be invited for submission to leading Scopus-indexed Partner Journals, subject to each journal’s review process and editorial guidelines. IMC-IRC partners with many Scopus-indexed journals spanning marketing, business strategy, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and management studies. The 2026 partner journals include:

• Global Business Review (CiteScore 9.5)
• FIIB Business Review (CiteScore 7.7)
• Business Perspectives and Research (CiteScore 5.8)
• Review of Management Literature (Cite Score 3.9)
• Management and Labour Studies (CiteScore 3.5)

A few other prestigious Journals have also been invited.

Submission Process and Key Dates
IMC-IRC 2026 follows a two-stage submission model. Stage 1 is an Extended Abstract of 1,000 to 1,500 words structured around four elements: Purpose, Methodology, Findings, and Originality. Abstracts are evaluated on Relevance, Rigour of Research, and Key Contributions. Stage 2 is the Full Paper of 5,000 to 8,000 words in standard scholarly format and APA 7th Edition citation style. Full Paper submission is mandatory for the IMC-IRC Best Research Paper Award competition.

The IMC-IRC 2026 timeline is as follows:

The conference is held exclusively in offline, in-person mode at the IIM Lucknow Noida Campus. At least one author from an accepted paper must register for the paper to be included in conference presentations. Registration for IMC-IRC shall open in July for selected scholars.

Distinguished Jury and Best Research Paper Award
The IMC-IRC Best Research Paper Award is presented annually at the Valedictory Session of the IMC Conclave. The Award follows a rigorous three-stage evaluation process: shortlisting by the assigned Track Reviewer, scoring by Track Chairs during paper presentation, and final selection by the Jury during the Open Best Paper Presentation session.

Past IMC-IRC Best Research Paper Award juries have been chaired and composed of some of India’s most respected research deans and journal editors, including Dr Ajay Manrai, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Global Marketing; Dr Sanjay Patro, Dean-Academics, XLRI Jamshedpur; and Dr Arpan Kar, Chair Professor, DMS and School of Artificial Intelligence, IIT Delhi. The 2026 jury composition will be announced after abstract acceptance.

Receive Complete Track Details and Submission Guidelines
The complete IMC-IRC 2026 Call for Papers including full track briefs, the Extended Abstract template, evaluation criteria, and step-by-step submission instructions is available to interested scholars on registration of interest. 

REGISTER NOW TO RECEIVE FULL DETAILS

Indian management education stands at a defining moment. The accelerated pace of AI adoption in business, the redefinition of MBA graduate competencies, and the call for integrating AI and technologies in management education is reshaping the landscape. IMC-IRC 2026 is the forum for debating, refining, and recognizing the scholars in the field. Faculty, researchers, and doctoral candidates working on questions in any of the five tracks are invited to submit their abstracts by June 14, 2026. Register your interest to receive the complete submission package.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for complete details about IMC-IRC 2026.