New Delhi [India], December 20 (ANI/SRV): Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS), Pune, organized its 13th Annual International Research Conference , SIMSARC'22 from December 15th to 17th, 2022 in hybrid mode.

The theme of the conference was "Pandemic to Endemic: Propositions for the future". The conference provided a platform for researchers, doctoral scholars and students to gain knowledge through research workshops, get feedback on their research papers from reviewers, present their research papers in different tracks and meet domain experts through plenary sessions.

The inaugural ceremony of SIMSARC'22 was held on December 16 at the SIMS auditorium. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Amit Kalyani, Deputy MD, Bharat Forge Ltd and the Guest of Honour was Sandeep Ranade, Executive VP, Hansa Research. Dr Vidya Yeravdekar, Pro-Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) presided over the function. Dr Rajani Gupte, Vice-Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), graced the occasion with her esteemed presence. Brig (Dr) Rajiv Divekar, Director, SIMS delivered the welcome address. He welcomed all the dignitaries and explained that the conference theme was based on the current situation across the globe. Dr Rajani Gupte, a Vice-Chancellor, stated that research was important for business students and that doing it scientifically was a very critical part of their training. Dr Vidya Yeravdekar, Pro-Chancellor mentioned that it was important to inculcate a research bent of mind amongst students to have a better edge in the corporate world. Amit Kalyani discussed how Indians were best placed to deal with the unpredictable and volatile world. He praised Indian businesses for being adaptable by shifting to digital mode during the pandemic. He emphasised on the need for research collaboration between industry and government-supported R & D institutions. Sandeep Ranade spoke about evidence-based research in companies and collaboration between industry and academia. The SIMS in-house journal, Jidnyasa Vol. 13 Issue 2, was also released during the ceremony. Dr Pravin Kumar Bhoyar, Deputy Director, SIMS proposed the vote of thanks.

The conference had three special sessions focused on project grants, academia-industry partnerships and a workshop on the usage of databases by Euromonitor. In addition, there were four plenary sessions by renowned speakers on the sub-themes: "New Realities Post Covid- Implications for Business", "Global Leadership - Dealing with Change", "Global Business Strategy - Post Pandemic Challenges and Future", and "Banking, Financial Markets and Technology - Predicting the Future."

The conference concluded on December 17, 2022, with Akshay Mehrotra, Co-founder and CEO, Fibe India (formerly EarlySalary), gracing the occasion for the valedictory function. He stated that business models could be strengthened through research data and looking beyond the problem by believing in oneself to solve it was extremely important. During the valedictory function, the best paper awards were announced. The conference was organized by Dr Komal Chopra as the Convener and Dr Smita Mehendale as the Co-Convener.