The 22nd International Conference on Innovation and Management (ICIM 2025) opened at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), Canada, at 7:00 PM Beijing Time on October 11. As a premier global academic event in management science, this year’s hybrid conference—hosted by UNB and featuring both in-person and virtual participation—drew leading scholars and industry experts from China, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and other countries.Centered on the theme “Digital-Enabled Innovation and Management,” the conference delved into how cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain are reshaping innovation ecosystems and management paradigms. The discussions highlighted the academic community’s forward-looking perspectives on management transformation in the digital era.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Donglei Du of the UNB Faculty of Business Administration, who welcomed attendees and emphasized the conference’s goal of fostering interdisciplinary and cross-cultural dialogue to advance global management practices. Professor Xiaofang Chen, Dean of the School of Management at Wuhan University of Technology and conference chair, delivered a speech advocating for theoretical breakthroughs in technological innovation and business ethics to inject new momentum into the field. Professor David Foord, Dean of the UNB Faculty of Business Administration, also gave a welcome address, reaffirming UNB’s commitment to building international academic bridges.
The plenary session, moderated by Professors Donglei Du and Xiangyu Qu, featured keynote presentations by Professor David Foord (Canada), Professor Luis Martinez Lopez (Spain), and Professors Michel Grabisch and Agnieszka Rusinowska (France), fostering a dynamic exchange of interdisciplinary ideas.The conference included seven parallel forums with a total of 25 academic presentations. Three early-career researchers from Wuhan University of Technology—Xiao Han, Feng Gao, and Zijing Wang—chaired three of these sessions. Topics spanned AI-powered cancer modeling and precision radiotherapy, innovations in combinatorial optimization algorithms, and supply chain management, providing a high-level platform for scholarly exchange.
The conference concluded successfully at the University of New Brunswick at 7:00 PM Beijing Time on October 12. The closing plenary, chaired by Professor Mingze Li, featured reports by Professor Geert Duijsters and Professor Tim de Leeuw (the Netherlands), Professor Qiang Wu (Hong Kong), Professor Xiangyu Qu (France), and Professor Chenchen Wu (Tianjin University of Technology). Professor Guanglei Zhang, Vice Dean of the School of Management at Wuhan University of Technology, and Professor Donglei Du delivered closing remarks, expressing gratitude to all participants and organizers.
ICIM 2025 significantly promoted knowledge sharing and intellectual collaboration in innovation and management, strengthening global and interdisciplinary cooperation. Moving forward, the ICIM conference series will continue to champion international perspectives and academic innovation, creating valuable opportunities for dialogue and development among global academic and industrial communities.
