Kashipur: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kashipur successfully hosted the fifth edition of its flagship academic conclave — the Management Education and Research Colloquium (MERC 2025) — themed “Achieving Sustainability Goals in the AI Era.”

The three-day event saw participation from over 200 scholars representing premier institutions including IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, DU, FMS, BITS Pilani, and more.

MERC 2025 featured 138 research paper presentations across 27 thematic tracks covering AI ethics, digital governance, circular economy, green finance, and sustainable operations.

Day one witnessed 91 papers presented by 110 researchers, followed by 47 papers on day two. The conclave also included workshops, networking sessions, and awards for best papers.

Distinguished speakers included Shri V. Srinivas, IAS, Secretary to the Government of India; Maj. Gen. (Retd) B. D. Wadhwa, AVSM; Prof. C Rajendran from IIT Madras; Prof. Vishal Gupta, IIM Ahmedabad; and Prof. Mamata Parhi, Roehampton Business School.

Shri V. Srinivas highlighted the need for an inclusive, technology-enabled governance model to realize the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.

Maj. Gen. Wadhwa stressed the importance of education in nation-building, while Prof. Gupta underscored mental well-being as key to leadership.

The event was steered by IIM Kashipur's leadership, including Prof. Somnath Chakrabarti, Director (I/C).

MERC 2025 reinforced IIM Kashipur's role as a centre for academic excellence in sustainability and innovation.