The Indian Institute of Management Kashipur has successfully wrapped up its 5th edition of the Management Education and Research Colloquium - MERC 2025. This IIM Kashipur's major academic event was held from May 24th, 2025 to May 26th, 2025. The theme for this year’s MERC was “Achieving Sustainability Goals in the AI Era”. More than 200 scholars from top institutions in India such as the IIMs, IITs and other leading business schools joined this event and made it successful. 

During this three-day event, 138 research papers were presented across 27 tracks that covered various crucial topics such as AI ethics, digital governance, green finance, the circular economy and sustainable business practices. The participants also took part in networking events, workshops and took an academic field visit that was aimed to encourage new research collaborations which also acted as a catalyst in building strong connections.

List of Notable Speakers at MERC 2025 

MERC 2025 conducted by IIM Kashipur also included a number of notable speakers. The list is given below:  

• Shri V. Srinivas (IAS Officer) 
• Major General (Retd) B.D. Wadhwa
• Dr C. Rajendran (IIT Madras) 
• Prof. Vishal Gupta (IIM Ahmedabad), 
• Roehampton Business School, UK Prof. Mamata Parhi (UK) and 
• University of Southampton’s Prof. Tapas Mishra. 

They provided insights into issues like ethical leadership, the contribution of education towards nation-building and how research can be used for a larger purpose in today's fast-paced world.

Prof. Somnath Chakrabarti, the Acting Director and Dean of Academics at IIM Kashipur addressed the way education contributes significantly towards the fulfilment of national aspirations such as Viksit Bharat@2047 and Atmanirbhar Bharat. He stressed that technology and innovation would be the catalysts for developing a self-reliant India.

This academic event was organised by a steller committee of IIM Kashipur consisting of Prof. Chakrabarti, Prof. Ashish Kumar, Prof. Sabyasachi Patra, Prof. Preeti Narwal and Prof. Vivek Roy along with the active support of the institute’s research scholars, staff and faculty members. 

Overall, MERC 2025 reinforced IIM Kashipur's reputation as an institution of excellent research and scholarly debate. It added to significant debates on sustainability, innovation and inclusive growth critical domains defining the business and societal futures.