42^nd Annual IMP Conference 2026, Ancona - Call for Papers

Università Politecnica delle Marche - Management Department, and The Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) are proud to welcome you to join the IMP2026 Conference in Ancona, Italy, on 01-04 September 2026.

The 42nd Annual IMP Conference invites contributions that examine how interaction and business networks evolve within changing business-to-business contexts, and how actors engage through networked relationships in both local and international settings.

The overarching theme for this edition is:

Building a Sustainable World Through Business Relationships and Networks

The conference explores how interactions across networks can enable adaptation, resilience, and innovation in increasingly complex and uncertain environments. Scholars are particularly encouraged to address how relationships evolve in response to societal, technological, and policy changes.

Key Dates

• December 1st 2025 - Abstract submission opens
• January 20th 2026 - Deadline for abstract submission (see submission guidelines below)
• February 2nd 2026 - Notification of abstract acceptance
• April 15th 2026 - Deadline submission full paper (see submission guidelines below)
• April 23rd 2026 - Registration opens
• May 27th 2026 - Notification of full paper acceptance
• June 30th 2026 - End of Early Bird registration
• July 10th 2026 - Registration closes
• Main Conference - From 12 pm on 01 September 2026 to 2 pm on 04 September 2026

Tracks

Papers may be submitted to the general track or to one of the eight Special Tracks.Click here to discover the Special Tracks.

• Network effect on sustainability, the role of actors and legislation Click for more information
• The role of the B2B sales function in building business relationships to contribute to a sustainable world Click for more information
• Resource interaction for sustainability in business networks Click for more information
• Resilience and Antifragility in Business Networks Click for more information
• Simulating Industrial Networks: from ideas and concepts to practice and action Click for more information
• Artificial Intelligence in Challenging or Enhancing Resilient Business Relationships and Networks Click for more information
• Linking Business Networks and Society for Sustainability & Circularity Click for more information
• Socio-Cultural and Ethical Dimensions of Sustainability Transformations in Industrial Networks Click for more information

Submission Guidelines

Please adhere to the following criteria when preparing your submission:

• Abstracts must not exceed two A4 pages (excluding references) and must clearly indicate whether they are intended for the general track or for a Special Track.
• Abstracts and papers are subject to double-blind peer review. Please ensure all identifying information—names, affiliations, acknowledgements—is removed from the main document and file properties.
• A separate title page must be submitted, indicating all author information (affiliation, email).
• Full papers should be:
  • sent in PDF format,
  • formatted for A4 paper,
  • margins of 1 inch (2.54 cm),
  • Times New Roman 12 pt, single-spaced,
  • headings in capitals (main headings) or small caps (subheadings), centred,
  • referencing style: Harvard (in-text and bibliography).
• Full papers should not exceed 8 pages, excluding references.

Commitees

Conference chair: Andrea Perna

Scientific committee: Enrico Baraldi, Roberta Bocconcelli, Gian Luca Gregori, Antonella La Rocca, Andrea Perna

Organizing committee: Alessandro Cinti, Alessandra Cioli, Nicole Lillini, Federica Pascucci, Andrea Sabatini

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to imp2026@sm.univpm.it