On November 23, the 21st International Conference on Innovation and Management (ICIM 2024) was grandly inaugurated at the Lecture Hall ofNanhuCampus Library. Distinguished scholars from France, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, and other countries worldwide, alongside leading Chinese management experts, gathered in Wuhan to exchange research achievements under the theme “Green Responsibility and Sustainable Innovation”, jointly exploring new disciplinary development trends.
Prof. Wang Fazhou, Vice President of Wuhan University of Technology, delivered the opening address on behalf of the university. He highlighted the institution’s recent advancements in innovation management research and practice, emphasizing novel approaches and institutional innovations in scientific & technological innovation and management mechanism reform. He expressed hope that this conference would strengthen problem-oriented research, better capture the pulse of innovation management development in the contemporary era, and foster shared development opportunities.
Conference Chair Prof. Chen Xiaofang, Dean of the School of Management, extended a welcome speech, articulating expectations that the conference would drive theoretical breakthroughs in technological innovation-commercial ethics integration and sustainable development management innovation, thereby injecting new momentum into foundational management discipline development.
Representatives from organizing committee institutions, including Prof. Tim de Leeuw from Tilburg University (Netherlands), Prof. Luis Martinez Lopez from University of Jaén (Spain), Prof. Agnieszka Rusinowska from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (France), and Prof. Lu Haitian from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, collectively congratulated the conference’s successful commencement.
Conference Vice Chair Prof. Ma Ying, Associate Dean of the School of Management, expressed gratitude to supporting organizations and detailed the two-day agenda featuring seven academic highlights.
The opening plenary session chaired by Prof. Qu Xiangyu featured keynote reports from Prof. Tim de Leeuw, Prof. Luis Martinez Lopez, Prof. Agnieszka Rusinowska, Prof. Du Donglei, and Prof. Zhao Xinyuan, followed by vigorous academic exchanges with participants.
Scheduled for November 23-24, this edition of ICIM will host 47 academic presentations across seven parallel sessions. Maintaining its focus on cutting-edge themes including technological innovation, management innovation, strategic governance, social governance, and sustainable development, the conference is poised to significantly advance global academia's capacity to address emerging challenges, crystallize innovative concepts, and explore new paradigms – ultimately exerting profound and positive impacts on promoting high-quality development in innovation and management disciplines worldwide.
