Navigating Change: Resilience and Innovation for a Sustainable and Digital Era

Dear PhD students!

We cordially invite you to join the MIC 2025 pre-conference day. It is designed as a one-day event for PhD students at any stage of their doctoral studies. We aim to provide an inclusive environment for sharing questions, ideas and providing feedback on some key issues that arise in any doctoral study process.

MIC 2025 pre-conference day will provide PhD candidates with the opportunity to

• discuss the research problem,
• discuss methodological challenges,
• give constructive feedback on another participant’s work,
• receive feedback on their work,
• meet experienced researchers,
• network with colleagues,
• gain new skills and practical insights on the use of AI in research work in the workshops.

The preliminary schedule of the PhD day is available here.

Student's Elevator Pitches

The pre-conference day will include presentations of your research with time for an in-depth discussion with experienced researchers. 

Workshops

The PhD Day will feature two interactive workshops designed to provide practical insights into leveraging AI as a companion in your research:

• On Methodological Rigor: Conducting Systematic Literature Reviews Using AI
• Crafting a Theoretical Contribution: AI as a Companion in Structuring Knowledge

These workshops, facilitated by Dr. Marco Balzano, will offer hands-on guidance on using AI tools to conduct systematic literature reviews and support theory development.

Best Student Paper Award

As part of the MIC 2025 Pre-Conference Day, we will recognize up to three Best Student Papers on the topic of Knowledge Transfer and Innovation. Submissions will be evaluated by members of the Program Committee, who will also attend student presentations and make the final decision on award recipients. Winners will receive a full refund of their registration fee. If you wish to be considered for this award, please indicate your interest in the comment section when submitting your abstract.

Registration and Submission

You can participate in the pre-conference day either as a presenter or listener. If you want to present and discuss your research, you should submit an extended abstract by April 15, 2025, using the online conference system. 

When preparing the extended abstract take into account the following:

• Extended abstracts must have 1,500 words minimum (not including the title of the paper, details about authors, and the reference list).
• The extended abstract should include the study rationale and objectives, methods (list the main methods and data used in the analysis), presentation of main results and findings (if already available), conclusions (added value of the paper, significant limitations, if appropriate), and possible challenges faced by the researcher.
• References in the text must be cited at the end of the extended abstract (they are excluded from the 1,500 words minimum restriction). Use the Chicago-Style Citation (Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide is available at https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html).
• When preparing the extended abstract use the conference's template .
• If you wish to be considered for the Best Paper Student award, please indicate your interest in the comment section when submitting your extended abstract.

The extended abstracts will go through a double-blind review process and, if accepted, will be published in the online MIC 2025 Book of Abstracts.

PhD students with accepted abstracts will be invited to submit full papers to the MIC 2025 Conference Proceedings, published after the conference, or to the supporting journals.

Registration Fee

The registration fee for PhD students who attend only the pre-conference day on June 4, 2025, is 150 EUR. The fee should be paid by May 10, 2025.

Participation in the pre-conference is free of charge for those students who registered for the main conference.

More details about the fee and payment methods are available here.

Conference Venue

The conference will take place at the University of Zadar, Department of Economics (Croatia).

Contact

E-mail: mic@fm-kp.si

Website: www.mic.fm-kp.si

 Pre-Conference Day Co-Organiser

The Centre for Development and Knowledge Transfer at the University of Primorska (CRPZ UP) serves as the central Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of the University, merging academic excellence, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit. Operating under the Faculty of Management, CRPZ UP connects researchers, institutions, and organizations to promote knowledge transfer, protect intellectual property, and strengthen collaboration between the university, industry, and society.

CRPZ UP plays a vital role in the innovation ecosystem by actively promoting, connecting, and supporting the University of Primorska's involvement in local, national, and international innovation networks. Leveraging its expertise, the Centre accelerates the commercialization of research results and facilitates the establishment of strategic partnerships.

The UNIK@TT Project is a strategic project initiative led by Slovenia’s three leading public universities—University of Ljubljana (consortium leader), University of Maribor, and University of Primorska—to enhance the transfer of scientific knowledge and innovation from academia to the economy and society. This initiative is complemented by the KTO3 consortium, coordinated by the Jožef Stefan Institute, which unites public research organizations to strengthen knowledge transfer mechanisms.

As part of the MIC 2025 Pre-conference Day, CRPZ UP FM will host the International Technology Transfer Office Collaboration Event within the UNIK@TT project, fostering connections between Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) and promoting collaboration among institutions, researchers, students and businesses in innovation, intellectual property management, and spin-off company development.

Key objectives of the event:

• Strengthening TTO competencies on an international level
• Increasing visibility and promotion of TTO activities
• Advancing cooperation in intellectual property protection and commercialization
• Supporting the establishment and growth of spin-off companies
• Formalizing partnerships through Memoranda of Understanding (MoU)

The project was launched in response to a call by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation and is co-funded by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund. Its goal is to ensure the sustainable development of TTOs across Slovenian public research organizations, fostering a more dynamic innovation ecosystem, increase the number of patent applications, strengthen university-industry partnerships, and improve technology transfer efficiency.

The MIC 2025 event will be a key opportunity to share knowledge, mentor students, forge strategic partnerships, and strengthen technological innovation and social innovation.