The two-day International Conference on Economics, Business and Technology Management 2025 (ICEBTM 2025), organized by the School of Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), concluded on November 15, 2025, with an award and closing ceremony at The Westin Dhaka.

Didar A. Husain, Chairman of IUB’s Board of Trustees; Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. M. Tamim; Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Daniel W. Lund; Acting Dean of SBE Prof. Dr. Raisul Awal Mahmud; Conference General Chair Prof. Dr. Md Mamun Habib; and A.K.M. Shahnawaj, Managing Director (Current Charge), Dhaka Bank PLC, spoke at the closing ceremony. IUB Trustee Wajid Ali Khan Panni, Trustee Dr. Husne Ara Ali, and Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmed Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Dhaka, were also in attendance. Awards were presented to six best papers of the conference.

At the closing ceremony, Prof. Dr. Mamun Habib said, “We hope to organize thematic student research symposiums every year from now on and a major international conference like ICEBTM every two years. IUB has recently launched the Advancing Undergraduate Research Aspirations [AURA] initiative, which I believe will help develop a culture of research among our students and eventually help us organize these series of symposiums and conferences.”

Keynote papers on the second day were presented by Prof. Dr. Rajah Rasiah of the University of Malaya, Malaysia, and Dr. Ahmad Ahsan, Director of the Policy Research Institute. The session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Abdur Rab, Vice Chancellor of the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), and Dr. Ben Bvepfepfe, Leeds Trinity University & CILT, UK.

Industry and academia leaders participated in several “Industry Talk” and “Academia-Industry Discussion” sessions. 

Speakers from academia included Prof. Dr. M.M. Nurul Absar, VC of Chittagong Independent University; Prof. Dr. Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, VC of Southeast University; Prof. Dr. Shahjahan Khan, VC, Asian University Bangladesh; Prof. Dr. AKM Waresul Karim, Dean, School of Business and Economics, North South University (NSU); Prof. Dr. Nazrul Islam, IUB; Prof. Dr. Mahbubur Rahman, NSU; Prof. Jonathan Liu, Manchester Business School, UK; Dr. Derek Westfall of Oregon State University, USA; Prof. Dr. Md. Sardar; Prof. Dr. Akhtar Hossain, UCSI University, Malaysia; Prof. Dr. Maniam Kaliannan, University of Nottingham, Malaysia; Prof. Ruhul A Salim, Curtin University, Australia; and Dr. Ferdous Saleheen, Sharjah Maritime Academy, UAE.

Industry representatives included Niaz Rahim, Group Director of Rahimafrooz Group; A.S.M. Mainuddin Monem, CEO and Managing Director of Abdul Monem Group; Dr. Arif Dowla, Managing Director, ACI PLC; Emeka Henry Egeson (Canada); Rezwanul Kabir, Energypac; Kabir Ahmed, BAFFA; and A Gafur, Director, Abdul Monem Economic Zone Limited.

The day also featured three parallel sessions where faculty members, researchers, and students from home and abroad presented a total of 106 research papers and 12 posters. A special session titled “Meet the Journal Editors” allowed participants to engage with editors of journals where selected conference papers will later be published.