Ustinov Travel Awards Conference Report 1

By Dacosta Omari

I attended the 29th Innovation and Product Development Management Conference (IPDMC) on 17th – 19th July 2022 in Germany. The conference was organised by European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM), and the theme was ‘Innovation in the Era of Climate Change’. The conference was held at Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Hamburg, Germany.

I arrived on Sunday afternoon and attended the Conference reception in the evening. The main conference activities were scheduled for 18th and 19th July. Following the opening ceremony, the presenters dispersed into their respective sessions for the commencement of the paper presentations. In all, about one hundred and twenty (120) papers were presented. I was the second person to present my paper in my session on the 18th July. My paper is entitled “The Relationship between Quality Management and Product Innovation: A Systematic Review’. Activities of Day One (1) of the conference came to a close around 4:30pm, and this was followed with a ferry trip and the conference dinner. Activities of Day Two (2) started at 9am and ended at 5pm with the closing ceremony. I returned to the UK on the following day, the 20th July.

Overall, the 29th IPDMC was a useful academic exercise for me as I received incredible and interesting feedback from independent scholars that will be utilised to further refine my paper before it is finally submitted. In addition, it afforded me an excellent opportunity to network and build relationship with influential and highly relevant academics in the field of innovation. Such networking opportunities nurture fertile grounds for future collaborations that can be harnessed to enrich my academic career. In a nutshell, the 29th IPDMC was a phenomenal learning encounter for me and it has really enriched my PhD experience. On this note, I would like to extend my gratitude to Ustinov College as your support helped me to cover the various incidental costs associated with conference attendance.