ISB Insights Forum 2023

About the Event

ISB was founded on the premise that academic research that is locally relevant and globally respected plays a vital role in creating a vibrant business ecosystem. We are proud that we have made some progress in building a community of scholars who use cutting-edge research to solve the thorny problems that India faces as it develops.

Research isn't just about facts and figures. It is a fusion of science and imagination. And framing India’s research future is a collaborative effort.

The ISB Insights Forum, launched in 2023, is a by-invitation-only, annual research showcase, and a platform to spotlight key research shaping management discourse in India and around the globe. It also seeks to recognise crucial support from individuals - through their philanthropy, corporate expertise, and academic contributions - towards the advancement of research initiatives in the country. 

Agenda

Research is a blend of science and imagination. Framing India’s research agenda for the future is, therefore, a collective effort of policymakers, academicians, industrialists, and knowledge creators. 

In 2022, India attracted as many foreign R&D projects as the US, UK, and China combined, according to an FDI Intelligence study. 

At the ISB Insights Forum 2023, we brough together a unique blend of thought leaders from across genres to discuss and embolden India’s researchers; and help them shape the future of our country and the world.

Themes

Technology & Innovation Strategy: Status Quo Is The Enemy

How to Befriend Tech for an Innovative Organisation

We are in the midst of unprecedented technological change that promises to redefine work, productivity and well-being. The data provides reason to be optimistic about India’s ability to leverage technological change to create value: In 2022, India attracted more FDI in research projects than the rest of the world combined, and it has 1,800+ R&D centres with over 1.3 million scientists and engineers. The innovation engine is active, but how can organisations effectively adopt and exploit technological change? This session explored the content of technological change, and its many impacts on business, government, and society.

Behavioral Science And Public Policy: Building Immunity For The Infodemic

How to Fight the Misinformation Virus

If you are on WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. – actually, even if you get your news from the mainstream media, you have come across false information or ‘fake news’. Maybe even been a victim. It grew into a monster in Covid times, and now it’s a pandemic on its own; call it the ‘infodemic’. Research shows a vicious cycle: the more informed a society, the more prone it is to misinformation! Academics, policymakers, and people at large tried to understand it to form an action plan.

Corporate Governance: Can Companies Be Forced To Be Socially Responsible?

Ways to generate real effects on environmental & social outcomes

A unique and controversial regulation in India requires (i) 2% of profits to be spent on CSR activities and (ii) the establishment of board-level CSR committees. While CSR is traditionally understood as voluntarism, governments around the world are now intervening in that arena by mandating disclosure of CSR activities. The Indian approach goes beyond that, building on the premise that disclosure alone is not sufficient to achieve the desired real effects on corporate behaviour. This session discussed whether such a mandate can make corporations more socially responsible and enhance understanding on whether a spending or governance mandate can generate real effects on environmental/social outcomes.

Healthcare Delivery And Policy: In Healing Healthcare, Private Matters

How to Diagnose the Future of Healthcare in India

What can make healthcare more accessible for India and the world’s population? The answer may be a P-word: Not just ‘public’, or ‘private’, but ‘partnership’. India does have a mixed system, but its effectiveness is often hampered by the mistrust between its public and private constituents. The private sector is concerned that it is impossible to have a level playing field, because the governments play all key roles. Despite the private providers accounting for 75-80% of care provided, their contribution in improving overall health of the community is unclear. In recent years, promising examples of public-private partnerships have emerged. This panel of policymakers, private practitioners, and representatives of the startup and investor ecosystem, brainstormed on approaches that can serve the dual objectives of creating a healthy society as well as a prosperous and socially responsible private sector.

Business Analytics: Above The Cloud With Ai And Data Science

How Academia & Business Can Make Hay

Business analytics has transformed the process that firms use to analyse consumer data and make decisions to improve profitability. Academia and businesses can collaborate to achieve synergies which can enhance the impact of this transformation. The session examined the opportunities, challenges, and potential successes for an industry-academia consortium by bringing together industry leaders from various domains such as retailing, grocery, education, etc., for a discussion.

Financial Services And Economic Policy: Let’s Bank On Everyone

Why Access to Formal Finance Matters

In the last decade, India has witnessed phenomenal growth in the financial services space. Digital public infrastructure has transformed the lives of billions of individuals and helped promote financial and social inclusion. While great progress seems to have been made with respect to access to savings, access to low-cost credit still remains a concern. The session on financial inclusion aimed to bring together bankers, policymakers, and technocrats as actors in the ecosystem to share insights on the major challenges in financial inclusion and identify priorities for financial inclusion.

Agenda For Growth: Harnessing India’s Research Potential

Charting India’s Research Map for 2047

India has 1,000+ universities, 50,000+ colleges and other educational institutions. There are over a million educators and about 40 million students in these institutions. These people have the potential to produce innovative ideas and path-breaking inventions that help advance India’s ambitions. What is holding us back from being a research superpower? What should be done to become one?      

Fireside With Kris Gopalakrishnan & Rakesh Bharti Mittal: From That Computer On A Bullock Cart

A Pioneer’s Ideas & Vision for a Research-Driven India by 2047

In an age when Indian engineers were lucky to get out of a shop floor, a few young people planted the seeds of India’s software industry. In Bengaluru, the first bits of instruments arrived on bullock carts. Kris Gopalakrishnan was part of this story, which today adds over $245 billion to India’s GDP every year. Having planted the seeds, Kris continues to plough back the resources into research, donating large sums to educational institutions. And he urges others, too, to water the ever-growing bodhi tree of research in India. What, then, is his vision for a research-driven New India by 2047? Industry honcho Rakesh Bharti Mittal, a strong supporter of education and research himself, engaged with Kris in this fireside chat about this question and more.