The conference was held on from June 19 to 21, 2019 in France

The R&D Management Conference is an international gathering of academics and practitioners interested in the study of research, development, technology management and innovation. The conference provides a valuable means of communication and exchange of ideas among academics and practioners. The prestigious event is of long standing: the Conference was initiated in Manchester in 1980 and the 41st edition of the conference  took place in last June in Paris, France, under the theme "The Innovation Challenge: Bridging Research, Industry and Society".

The special tracks selected for the 2019 conference were grouped in themes to make it easier to find the most relevant track (note that tracks inside the same theme are not expected to be merged). In addition to these special tracks, abstracts can be submitted to the general track.

11 themes were identified as a result of the call for special tracks:

• Theme 1: Artificial intelligence & Data sciences
• Theme 2: Co-creation, Creativity & Design
• Theme 3: Digital Technology
• Theme 4: Ecosystems
• Theme 5: Emerging Markets
• Theme 6: Radical and systemic innovation
• Theme 7: Industry 4.0
• Theme 8: Open Innovation
• Theme 9: Organizational & Marketing Innovation
• Theme 10: R&D
• Theme 11: Sustainable Development