Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Technology Management

 

Special Issue on: "The Role of Technological Innovation for Pandemic Fighting: The Case of COVID-19"

Guest Editors:
Prof. Jin Chen, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, China
Prof. Chang Chieh (CC) Hang, Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Management, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Prof. Alexander Brem, Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Science, University of Stuttgart, Germany
Research Assistant Prof. Liang Mei, National School of Development, Peking University, China

As stated in the objective and scope of the web page, IJTM aims to seek academic articles addressing the issues of managing science, technology, and engineering, in the contexts of diverse organizations, industries, and countries contexts. The broad idea behind the theme of the special issue entitled "technological innovation for COVID-19 reduction" indicates that technological innovations are seen as approaches tackling the social grand challenge, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic and the accordingly reductions in development. Therefore, preliminary lessons should be accumulated for constructing a transformative agenda of technological innovations for better alleviating the negative impact of COVID-19 and helping the recovery of development. The Special Issue aims to appeal to the entire readership of the IJTM, and others interested in technology innovation issues in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regarding the reduction impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, technological innovation plays the utmost roles in many aspects to fix the social grand challenge: first, most countries have undergone indigenous technological innovation solutions to dealing with the complex science and technology breakthrough innovations, involving the Vaccine R&D, testing and large-scale preparation, the adoption personnel action track records, health code, personal health management data system, and the R&D of anti-epidemic masks and protective clothing, among others; Second, typical emerging technologies have widely used in diverse scenes of life to control the spread of the virus, such as the artificial intelligence temperature measurement application, and the artificial intelligence materials delivery in epidemic areas; Third, technological innovation do contribute to the economic recovery by creating new job opportunities, e.g., digital office and meeting, online meal ordering and life services, and so on.

Existing frameworks like the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) matter to serve as a deep fundamental roadmap to help to survive from the trauma of COVID-19, with emerging technologies like AI, 5G, block-chain, the internet of things, etc. exerting increasing impact on both economics and societies. Taking AI as an example, the European Commission has launched an ambitious initiative "AI-Robotics vs COVID-19: SHARING SOLUTIONS – INITIATIVES - IDEAS" to face the COVID-19 reduction, unlocking the key emerging technologies like AI for addressing the global development goals. Explicitly, the United Nations has highlighted the 17 sustainable development goals (SDG) for global development by 2030, emerging as the world's "new normal" for the global challenges on the pandemic and reductions like poverty, refugee, etc. caused by the pandemic.

Subject Coverage
Articles thus need to basically emphasize what roles technological innovations play and how technological innovations matter to the reduction of COVID-19, with relevant subjects welcomed, including but not limited to the following:

• Indigenous technological innovation activities and implications to address COVID-19.
• Collaborative technological innovation for COVID-19.
• The impact of COVID-19 on science and technological innovation, and how the main technological innovation actors (organizations, industries, and states) respond to tackle the COVID-19.
• The role of emerging technological innovations for COVID-19 reduction.
• Technological innovation strategy for tackling COVID-19.
• The aspects of performance that technological innovations play to face and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, e.g., economics, environment, industrial regime, social development.
• Technological innovation for COVID-19 reduction from widely discussed innovation perspectives, e.g., innovation systems, socio-technical system, open innovation, emerging technologies and governance, digital innovation, responsible innovation, innovation ecosystem, among others.
• Technological innovations for COVID-19 reduction in the context of countries' comparisons, or the relevant geographical contexts of developed countries and emerging countries.

Therefore, the special issue positions the above-mentioned issues, and claims that technological innovation (e.g., emerging technologies, industrial 4.0, and digitalization) is not just a technical fix for COVID-19 reduction, but also a driving force or a transformative engine for the mega social challenge triggered by COVID pandemic. It positions to contribute insights to the innovation literature, particular regarding the rare grand challenge context COVID pandemic, and output meaningful practical implications to the main stakeholders in technological innovation activities embedded in the COVID pandemic context, including technological creator, technology adopters, technology accepter, industrial practitioner, and relevant policymakers.

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Authors who have interest should first submit a title and extended abstract (no more than 1000 words except tables, figures, and references, involving the authors' bios) to the guest editors for initial evaluations. The guest editors will determine the decent submissions and initially identify about 30-50 authors to invite their full paper submissions. For any inquiry concerning this special issue and abstract submissions, please email: liangmei@nsd.pku.edu.cn

Important Dates

Manuscripts due by: 15 November, 2021