Call for Papers
7th Annual Conference of the Aston India Centre
30 – 31 August 2025
Location: Aston University, Birmingham, UK (Hybrid Format)
Theme: Innovating for a Sustainable Future: India’s Role in Advancing Circular Economy and Global Resilience
About the Conference
In the face of unprecedented global challenges, climate change, geopolitical turbulence, economic uncertainties, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s role particularly within the Global South in advancing sustainability, promoting circular economy practices, and driving innovation to achieve environmental targets, including net zero, has never been more critical. The transition to a sustainable and resilient future requires collective efforts across science, technology, business, policy, and society. In a world facing complex and uncertain challenges, research that blends local insights with global relevance is essential.
The Aston India Centre (AIC) invites researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and industry experts to participate in its 7th Annual Conference. Building on the success of previous gatherings, this year’s conference will explore India’s role in advancing sustainable development practices.
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Focus Areas
The 2025 conference seeks contributions addressing contemporary issues and opportunities, emphasising India’s practices, insights and innovations. Submissions should reflect how India’s businesses of all sizes are adopting sustainable practices to address local and global challenges, offering lessons and models for broader application.
Key Themes
We welcome submissions across diverse areas, including but not limited to:
- Sustainability and Resilience
- Circular economy practices in India
- Renewable energy innovations and adoption
- Strategies for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Waste-to-energy and water sustainability solutions.
- Business and Society
- Corporate sustainability and mandated CSR
- Challenges and opportunities towards sustainable practices for Indian businesses both SMEs and large firms.
- Leveraging India’s demographic dividend and diaspora towards sustainability
- Technology and Innovation
- Digital transformation and Industry 4.0
- Role of emerging technologies in driving sustainability
- Technological upskilling and challenges for India’s workforce
- Business Model Innovation towards sustainability and circular economy
- Bottom of the pyramid innovations to drive circular economy
- Governance and Leadership
- Indigenous management approaches and leadership styles in the context of circular economy
- Institutions, actors, and governance in the context of circular economy
- Harnessing grass root level innovation towards circular economy
- Research and Policy Impact
- Embedding SDGs in organisational practices
- Policy frameworks and strategies for fostering sustainable business models in emerging economies.
- Circular economy in humanitarian supply chain management and disaster resilience
Special Features
- Doctoral and Early Career Researcher Workshops: Sessions on career development, publishing, and funding opportunities.
- Practitioner and Policy Panels: Bridging academia with industry and policymaking, there will be presentations from UK industry partners and sharing of best practices on sustainability.
- Networking Sessions: Plenty of opportunity to build collaborations among interdisciplinary researchers and stakeholders.
Submission Guidelines
We invite both conceptual and empirical research papers, including case studies, policy analyses, and interdisciplinary works. Submissions must broadly align with the conference theme and provide insights relevant to India and its global implications. However, research about any other glaring issues related to India are welcome.
Deadlines
- Abstract Submission: 10 May 2025.
- Notification of Acceptance: 10 June 2025.
- Full Paper Submission: 10 August 2025.
Abstracts of papers (max. 500 words) should be submitted to [email protected]
Full paper length of maximum 4,000 words (tables, figures and references not included). Full papers will be made available for all participants, to be studied before the small group meetings.
Conference Venue
The conference will be held at Conference Aston, Aston University, Birmingham (UK). Aston Business School is considered among UK’s leading business schools and AICAR is Aston University’s leading cross-disciplinary research centre. Bottom of Form
Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK with a population of over one million and is reported to have more canals than the city of Venice! Being situated in the heart of England, it is easily accessible by road, train or air transport. Britain’s most ethnically diverse city, Birmingham has been transformed over the past many years with fantastic new developments, including Symphony Hall, Bullring Shopping Centre and internationally renowned multi cuisine restaurants.
Fees
£200 (including refreshments, conference pack, lunches and dinner).
For PhD candidates, there is a discounted fee of £150.
Conference Chair
Prof. Prasanta Dey
Aston India Centre (AIC)
Aston Business School,
Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
Conference Co-Chair
Dr. Krishna Balthu
Aston India Centre (AIC)
Aston Business School,
Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
Organising Committee
Prof. Pawan Budhwar, Prof. Sangeeta Khurana, Professor Surender Munjal, Dr. Kanimozhi Narayanan, Dr. Anitha Chinnaswamy, Dr. Gajanan Panchal, Dr. Shubhadeep Mukherjee, Dr. Manimuthu Arunmozhi, Dr. Komal Aryal, Dr. Menoka Bal, Dr. Afshin Hamrabadi
Contact Persons
Prof. Prasanta Dey ([email protected]) and Dr. Krishna Balthu ([email protected])
Aston India Centre, Aston Business School, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK.
https://www.aston.ac.uk/research/bss/research-centres/aston-india-centre-applied-research