Leveraging Emerging Technologies and Analytics for Development (LEAD) – 2025

Theme: Unlocking Human Potential
(10^th – 12^th December, 2025 )

About LEAD-2025:

The Leveraging Emerging Technologies and Analytics for Development (LEAD)-2025 is a premier international conference bringing together scholars, industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to explore the transformative power of technology and analytics. This year’s theme, “Unlocking Human Potential,” highlights the role of emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, data-driven decision-making, and digital transformation in enhancing human capabilities, fostering inclusive growth, and driving sustainable development. As businesses and societies navigate rapid technological changes, this conference aims to spark insightful discussions on harnessing these advancements for economic progress, social empowerment, and ethical innovation.

LEAD-2025 will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and paper presentations by leading experts from academia and industry. The conference will delve into critical topics such as AI-driven workforce augmentation, the ethical implications of automation, the intersection of human cognition and machine intelligence, and the use of analytics in public policy and business strategy. Special sessions will address the role of digital ecosystems in enhancing education, healthcare, financial inclusion, and governance. The event will provide actionable insights into leveraging technology to maximize human creativity, productivity, and well-being by fostering cross-disciplinary dialogues and real-world case studies.

Participants can engage in networking sessions, collaborative research discussions, and industry-led innovation showcases, ensuring meaningful ideas and best practices exchanges. The scenic setting of IIM Shillong, surrounded by the lush landscapes of Meghalaya, offers an inspiring environment for intellectual engagement and interdisciplinary learning. As a platform for thought leadership, LEAD-2025 is set to shape the future of how emerging technologies and data analytics can empower individuals, businesses, and societies to reach their full potential.

Conference Objectives:

1. To explore how emerging technologies and data analytics can enhance human potential, drive innovation, and foster sustainable economic and social development.
2. To facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration among academia, industry, and policymakers for developing ethical, inclusive, and technology-driven solutions to global challenges.
3. To promote research and practical applications of AI, digital transformation, and data-driven decision-making in business, governance, education, and sustainable development.

Brochure:

Click Here to download

Contribution of LEAD-2025 to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

LEAD-2025 aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by addressing critical global challenges through technology, data analytics, and innovation. By fostering interdisciplinary discussions, research collaborations, and real-world applications, the conference will contribute significantly to the following SDGs:

SDG 1: No Poverty

LEAD-2025 will explore how financial technology (fintech), AI-driven microfinance, and data-driven policymaking can enhance economic inclusion for marginalized communities. Sessions on poverty alleviation through digital transformation will highlight innovative solutions such as mobile banking for the unbanked, AI-based credit assessment models, and blockchain for transparent social welfare distribution. The conference will facilitate knowledge sharing on how analytics can optimize resource allocation and social impact measurement for poverty reduction initiatives.

SDG 4: Quality Education

By emphasizing AI-driven personalized learning, digital classrooms, and edtech innovations, the conference will showcase how technology can improve educational accessibility and learning outcomes. Key discussions will focus on using adaptive learning platforms, virtual reality (VR) in education, and AI-powered skill development programs to bridge the digital divide. Experts will also discuss strategies for upskilling and reskilling the workforce to prepare them for the future of work in an AI-driven world.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

The conference will drive discussions on smart infrastructure, AI-powered industrial automation, and digital transformation strategies that foster sustainable economic growth. Case studies on Industry 4.0, IoT-enabled manufacturing, and blockchain applications in supply chain management will highlight how businesses can adopt emerging technologies to enhance efficiency and resilience. Startups and researchers will also be able to showcase innovative solutions that can drive sustainable industrialization.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

By addressing the role of technology in governance, cybersecurity, and ethical AI, LEAD-2025 will contribute to building transparent, inclusive, and accountable institutions. Sessions on data-driven policymaking, AI for legal decision-making, and blockchain for anti-corruption initiatives will explore how technology can promote justice and trust in public administration. Discussions on AI ethics, misinformation detection, and regulatory frameworks will also emphasize the need for responsible and fair AI governance.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

LEAD-2025 will be a global platform for collaboration among academia, industry, government, and international organizations. The conference will enable the co-creation of technology-driven solutions for sustainable development by fostering cross-sector dialogues, research partnerships, and industry-academia collaborations. Panel discussions on public-private partnerships (PPPs), AI ethics coalitions, and data-sharing initiatives will highlight how collective efforts can drive meaningful progress toward the SDGs.

Format:

The conference will feature keynote presentations, paper presentations, industry and academic panel discussions, pre-conference workshops, and tools/application demonstrations.

Target Audience:

Researchers, academics, industry professionals, policymakers, students, and other stakeholders interested in the application of emerging technologies for unlocking human potential.

Sub-themes:

The conference provides a global platform for engaging in dialogues and deliberations. Papers are welcomed for the following topics (not limited to):

• Information Systems: Theory & Practice
• Analytics: Application for Human and Business Development.
• Information Systems and Analytics for Marketing.
• Information Systems and Analytics for Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour.
• information Systems and Analytics for Operation and Quantitative Techniques.
• Information Systems and Analytics for Finance and Economics.
• Management of Technology and Competitiveness.

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Viswanath Venkatesh is an Eminent Scholar and Verizon Chair of Business Information Technology at the Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech.

He is involved with a number of organizations, advising them on their strategic directions. He has travelled across the globe and presented to the academic and business community. He also currently serves as an affiliate faculty at Virginia Tech India. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scholars in business, both in terms of premier journal publications and citations, with about 220,000 citations per Google Scholar and an h-index of 100.

Call for Papers:

[1] Submission Process:

Type of Submissions:

LEAD-2025 invites academicians, research scholars, and corporate/industry executives to submit Full paper (Research Paper (Qualitative / Quantitative/ Mixed Methods), Literature Review, Case Study, Conceptual paper, Tools demo paper). Authors wishing to submit multiple papers will have to do separately.

Author Guidelines:

All papers must be original and not previously submitted for any other conference or journal. Authors must follow the Springer Conference Format while preparing their manuscript. A Manuscript must have a minimum of 5000 words, excluding abstract and reference list. The similarity of the text must not exceed 10% (including similarity in literature review). Each manuscript must explicitly mention the manuscript’s contribution to the conference proceedings titled ‘Leveraging Emerging Technologies and Analytics for Unlocking Human Potential’.

Review Process:

Submitted papers will undergo a double-blind peer review process (no author name is to be included in manuscript) based on relevance, originality, significance, and clarity. Authors will be notified of revision/ acceptance/ rejection by the specified deadline.

Mode of presentation

LEAD-2025 will be conducted in hybrid mode. Indian authors will present papers physically at the IIM Shillong Umsawli campus. International participants may present their papers online. Each accepted paper should be presented in the conference for receiving the quality feedback.

[2] Important Dates:

Last date for full paper submission	31st August, 2025
Final Decision on acceptance/rejection of full papers	On or before 30th September, 2025
Registration Begins	1st October, 2025
Registration Closes	30th November, 2025

 

[3] Registration Details (Inclusive of Applicable GST 18%)

Participants	Amount
Corporate/Industry	₹8000
Academicians	₹6000
Research Scholars	₹4000
International (Developed Countries)	$100
International* (Least Developed Countries)	$25

* https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/least-developed-country-category/ldcs-at-a-glance.html

The Registration Fees include morning and afternoon Tea for two days, Lunch and dinner for two days, along with Conference Kit, but does not include accommodation. The participants will have to make their own arrangements for accommodation.

Knowledge Partners:

The institutes expressed interest in being part of LEAD-2025 are:

1. Institut Mines-Telecom Business school (IMT-BS) (https://www.imt-bs.eu/en/ ). IMT-BS is the Business School of Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT), France’s leading group of public engineering schools.
2. Trinity College Dublin, (https://www.tcd.ie/business/) abbreviated as Trinity or TCD, officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin, Ireland.

Publication partners:

Publication of Conference Proceedings: LEAD-2024 Conference Proceedings (Vol-1) is available at: https://link.springer.com/book/9789819625475.

Communication of best papers to special issues: Discussions are in progress with journals for special issues or considering extended best papers of the conference for journals as per their format and rules. Information will be updated in website.

Advisory Committee:

• Prof Antonio, Norway
• Prof Anuragini, France
• Prof Arpan, IIT Delhi, India
• Prof Baidyanath Biswas, Ireland
• Prof H.R. Rao, USA
• Prof. Indranil Bose, Neoma Business School, France
• Dr. Jang Bahadur Singh, IIM Trichy
• Prof Jason Thatcher, USA
• Prof. Manojit, IIM Raipur, India
• Prof. Marc Lim, Malaysia
• Prof Marin Jansen, Netherland
• Prof. Rameshwar Dubey, France
• Prof Somnath Mukhopadhyay, USA
• Prof Sudhir Rana, UAE
• Prof. Sujeet K. Sharma, IIM Nagpur
• Dr. Viswanath Venkatesh, USA
• Prof. Yogesh K. Dwivedi, Saudi Arab

Organizing Committee:

[1] Conference Patron: 

• Prof. Naliniprava Tripathi, Director-in-Charge, Indian Institute of Management, Shillong

[2] Conference Co-Chairs:

• Prof. Parijat Upadhyay
• Prof. Pradeep Kumar Dadabada

[3] Committee Members:

• Prof. Basav Roychoudhury
• Prof. Debasisha Mishra
• Prof. Prasanta Kr. Chopdar
• Prof. Priya Alat
• Prof. Krantiraditya Dhalmahapatra

Contact Details:

[1] Conference Email: leadconf@iimshillong.ac.in

[2] Conference Website: https://www.iimshillong.ac.in/events-and-conferences/conferences/lead-2025

[3] Phone no.: 0364-2308027

[4] Address: Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Umsawli, Shillong, 793018, Meghalaya, India

Submission Protocol: Registration and File Upload:

1. Initiate Registration: Select the "Make Submission" interface to commence the registration sequence.
2. Input Data: Accurately complete all requisite data fields.
3. Password Generation: Formulate a unique password. It is logical to record this password for subsequent access, as it will facilitate file uploads, modifications, or the withdrawal of your submission.
4. Confirm Registration: Upon accurate data entry, activate the blue "Make Submission" control.
5. Submission ID Generation: The system will thereupon generate a distinct Submission Identification Number.
6. Credential Retention: It is imperative to retain both the generated Submission Identification Number and your designated password.
7. Navigate to Home Interface: Ascend the interface to locate and select "OpenConf Home".
8. Access File Upload: Select the "Upload File" function.
9. Authenticate Access: Input your previously recorded Submission Identification Number and password.
10. File Selection: Upload the designated file, ensuring it conforms to the .docx format.
11. Execute Upload: Activate the "Upload file" control to complete the process.