Dear Delegates,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the sixth PMI Regional Project Management Research & Academic Virtual Conference (#PMIRAC21). The conference is being held online for the first time from 4th – 6th March 2021, and we are being ably supported by the host, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT). We are very excited about this conference being international in reach and scope, by virtue of being a virtual event. It will give us all an opportunity to explore the latest research and learnings in project management from across the globe.

Planning and holding an online conference of this magnitude is a project in itself. Despite the COVID-19 crisis and related issues, we are delighted to be able to bring you a virtual conference that revolves around a very pertinent topic: “Enhancing project performance -- Application of AI and Decision Science”.

With technological disruptions, safety and social distancing defining the ‘new normal’, would AI and data science transform the way we manage our projects? If so, what impact will they will have on how projects are conceived, managed and executed? We believe that the time is ripe for the academic community to explore advancements in this field, and reflect deeply on integrating their application into the project management process.

You will have an opportunity to hear from, and interact with, renowned subject matter experts, some of the finest academicians in the country, as well as a group of bright young minds. We're excited to be working with hosts IIT Bombay, whose stellar support and encouragement has helped us take this conference to the next level. I hope you will enjoy, learn and gain interesting insights from the discussions, knowledge-sharing and deeply-researched papers that will be presented at the conference.

Happy e-cognition!

Dr. Srini Srinivasan
Regional Managing Director,
Project Management Institute

Dr. Srini Srinivasan

Regional Managing Director, PMI


It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the sixth PMI Regional Project Management Research & Academic Virtual Conference (#PMIRAC21). The conference is being held online for the first time from 4th – 6th March 2021, and we are being ably supported by the host, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT). We are very excited about this conference being international in reach and scope, by virtue of being a virtual event. It will give us all an opportunity to explore the latest research and learnings in project management from across the globe.

Planning and holding an online conference of this magnitude is a project in itself. Despite the COVID-19 crisis and related issues, we are delighted to be able to bring you a virtual conference that revolves around a very pertinent topic: “Enhancing project performance - Application of AI and Decision Science”.

With technological disruptions, safety and social distancing defining the ‘new normal’, would AI and data science transform the way we manage our projects? If so, what impact will they will have on how projects are conceived, managed and executed? We believe that the time is ripe for the academic community to explore advancements in this field, and reflect deeply on integrating their application into the project management process.

You will have an opportunity to hear from, and interact with, renowned subject matter experts, some of the finest academicians in the country, as well as a group of bright young minds. We're excited to be working with hosts IIT Bombay, whose stellar support and encouragement has helped us take this conference to the next level. I hope you will enjoy, learn and gain interesting insights from the discussions, knowledge-sharing and deeply-researched papers that will be presented at the conference.

Happy e-cognition!

Karuna Jain

Professor, Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay

Venkata Santosh Kumar Delhi, PhD

Assistant Professor, Construction Technology and Management, Civil Engineering Department, IIT Bombay

Albert Thomas, PhD

Assistant Professor, Construction Technology and Management, Civil Engineering Department, IIT Bombay

Pankaj Dutta, PhD

Associate Professor, Decision Sciences, Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay


We are delighted to invite you to the 6th PMI India Research & Academic Conference in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from March 4th, 2021 - March 6th, 2021. This year, the conference is hosted by Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India, through a fully online mode. Established in 1958, IITB is recognised worldwide for its tremendous contributions in education and research domain. The IITB community has contributed immensely to India’s growth, and are occupying key positions in various sectors across the world. Located in Powai, one of the northern suburbs of Mumbai, the institute reap the advantage of being in the busy financial capital of India, while at the same time enjoying the serenity of a campus known for its natural beauty.

The theme of PMI India Research & Academic Conference - RAC 2021 is:

"Enhancing project performance: Application of AI and decision science"

This theme intends to promote discussions on the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Decision Sciences in various facets of project management. Overall, we believe that the knowledge base thus created would help increase the success of future projects in various domains such as construction, R&D, engineering, IT and infrastructure. The conference is also expected to provide close interactions between IITB faculty and the other academicians and industry practitioners across the world, to discuss and deliberate the newest advances in project management.

We would like to invite you to consider this as the platform for sharing your academic research as well as industry practitioner perspectives. We look forward to receiving high-quality original research papers, surveys, case studies, technical notes and write-ups that align with the specific theme, as well as all other aspects of project management.

For other information, please read the "Call for Papers" document. Please pay close attention to the abstract, key dates and author guidelines.

We hope to see you soon.