2022 Annual Conference – Call for Presentations

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2022 IRI Annual Conference (May 17-20)

New Orleans, LA


The 2022 Call for Presentations submission window has closed

The Innovation Research Interchange’s 2022 Annual Conference will share key emerging trends, technologies, critical skills, and best practices with innovation leaders of all industries, providing the valuable toolkits to drive a successful organization. The goal of this event is to connect innovation professionals of every level to new ideas and to each other through collaborative learning. This year’s conference will focus on four key themes: The Future of Work, Digital Transformation of Business and Industry, Operationalizing Sustainability, and Strategic Innovation Management.

Conference attendees are innovation professionals working in corporations, startups, universities, and federal laboratories. Attendees are primarily senior managers and above, though the full audience ranges from early-career to corporate executives, and from a wide variety of industries. This event is open to the public. Most conference attendees work for IRI member companies and our research partners.

Themes and Suggested Topics

The Future of Work

  • Organizational design
  • Building effective digital workspaces to support hybrid and traditional teams
  • Talent acquisition, development, and career paths
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Workforce ecosystems
  • Investing in employee well-being

Digital Transformation of Business and Industry

  • AI and Automation
  • Industry 4.0
  • Supply Chain Technology of the Future
  • Building vital skills for Industry 4.0 at every level of your organization
  • Overcoming internal and external barriers
  • Automating for the present and future

Operationalizing Sustainability

  • Transformation of core business and creating new business models
  • Designing for longevity
  • Roadmap for Integrated Sustainability
  • Life Cycle Analysis and process optimization
  • Circular economy transition
  • Creating a culture of sustainability in the workplace

Strategic Innovation Management

  • Innovation culture
  • Operational Resilience
  • Identifying growth opportunities
  • Innovation Infrastructure
  • Improving scalability and flexibility
  • Designing innovation networks
  • Innovation portfolio management

Session Formats

  1. Express Learning Session   
    Approximate duration: 20-30 minutes 
    Permitted formats: Case study presentation with Q&A or a small-group roundtable discussion led by SME facilitator.
  2. Interactive Roundtable   
    Approximate duration: 75 minutes 
    Sessions will have structured discussion of a specific challenge in a small group with a subject matter expert facilitator. The person submitting the topic will be required to either volunteer as the facilitator or to have another person(s) confirmed to do at time of submission. 
  3. Breakout Session  
    Approximate duration (including Q&A): 60 –75 minutes* 
    Permitted Formats: Presentation with slide deck, panel discussion, or interactive workshop (latter format may request a longer timeslot).

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed and score on the basis of:

  1.  Clarity of purpose 
  2.  Fit with conference subject matter 
  3. Timeliness of topic 
  4. Exciting information appropriate for the intended audience  
  5. Evidence of a high standard of research (if relevant) 
  6. Presentation will be delivered well and meet its audience’s needs 


Policies and Procedures

  1. All program proposals must be submitted by 5:00pm ET on Friday, December 31 to smith@iriweb.org 
  2. All proposals must include learning objectives (those without will not be considered for the conference). Learning objectives should include what the audience will learn, how will the audience learn, and what skill or knowledge they will gain. 
  3. All proposals must be accompanied by an example from a previous speaking engagement – (a video clip, presentation file or audio recording). 
  4. Once a session is accepted, the presenter(s) may not change the conceptual content of the session, except with the approval of IRI. 
  5. IRI reserves the ability to edit, change, or combine program proposals if it is educationally advantageous. Program organizers will be notified before changes are made.  
  6. Authors will be informed on or before January 7, 2022 if proposals are accepted.
  7. Accepted speakers/panelists/moderators will receive a complimentary registration for the conference (for members: this will be in addition to the complimentary registrations you receive in your annual membership benefits) 
  8. Breakout session speakers will be required to pre-record their presentation and participate in a live Q&A immediately after its conference broadcast.  
  9. Every presenter must sign a Speaker Agreement Form prior to the conference.  
  10. Speakers may be asked to convert conference presentation into a journal manuscript for IRI’s journal, Research-Technology Management 

All proposals are due by December 31, 2021 

If you have questions regarding these policies and procedures or the submission process, please contact Mallory Smith at smith@iriweb.org.