42^nd Annual IMP Conference 2026, Ancona

Call for Papers

Polytechnic University of Marche – Department of Management, and The Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) are proud to welcome you to join the IMP Conference 2026 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.

Tracks

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

Submission of Abstracts

• Abstracts should be a maximum of 2 pages + references.
• Abstract submissions are done by using the online submission system: https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=imp26
• Abstract submission form opens on December 1, 2025. The final date to submit your abstract is 20 January 2026.
• At the beginning of the submission process, after logging in as an author in EasyChair, please select “New Submission” from the menu at the top left.
• You are invited to submit the abstract either to the IMP2026 General Track or to one Special Tracks of your choice, (choose only one track).
• Fill in the author and affiliation details in the system only.
• For the Affiliation field, please indicate the full name of your institution and, where applicable, the department.
• The title and the abstract should be entered as plain text; they should not contain HTML elements.
• Type a list of keywords, one per line, to characterise your submission. Please specify at least three keywords.
• There is no need to upload a PDF file. The abstract must be pasted directly into the dedicated form.

Submission of papers

• Deadline of Full paper submission: 15 April 2026
• Paper submissions are done by using the online submission system https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=imp26

Paper submission is done by updating your accepted abstract submission by adding a pdf file of the paper to your submission. You can also update the abstract (in Easychair: update information) at this point. Please note: In case you submitted the abstract as a pdf file, you need to submit the abstract (again) by filling in the Easychair submission form (copy-paste). Only the anonymous paper can be submitted as a pdf file, not the abstract.

Abstract and Paper editing instructions:

Please adhere to the following criteria when preparing your submission:

• Abstracts should be a maximum of 2 pages + references.
• 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.
• 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.

Submissions are done by using the online submission system: https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=imp26.