Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu faculty members Dr. Vaseem Akram, Chairperson Doctoral Programme, and Prof. Jabir Ali, Dean Academics with regards to their research paper titled, "Output Convergence at Sector Level across the Indian States: Evidence from Weak Sigma and Club Convergence Analysis" were awarded the Best Research Paper in the Economics domain in Gold Category at the prestigious ICAI International Research Awards 2022 at New Delhi.  

The award was given by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the premier accounting body which has been holding the annual competition for these awards since 1958. The International Research Awards aspires to build a global research community promoting a research-based ecosystem, sharing learning, and solving problems, and simulating debates and dialogues.

The award aim is to raise the profile of individuals, teams, and institutions undertaking research, recognize innovative approaches to research, encourage multi-disciplinary research, bridge the gap between research and practice, and recognize success stories of researchers in Accounting, Auditing, Finance, Economics and Taxation with an objective to enhance the research activities in Accounting, Finance, Taxation, and allied areas, to name a few. 

Speaking on the momentous occasion, Prof. B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu said, “Research is what propels humanity forward towards growth and innovation. Decades of research have brought us to a level where we are today i.e., a civilized society with the knowledge and tools to move forward. IIM Jammu has always been the frontrunner with a key focus on research. This noteworthy achievement is indeed another feather in the cap of IIM Jammu. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of IIM Jammu to congratulate Prof. Jabir Ali, Dean Academics, and Dr.Vaseem Akram, Chairperson Doctoral Programme for being awarded best research paper in the Economics domain in the Gold Category at the recently concluded ICAI International Awards 2022. There is a lot to achieve and a long way ahead and I am sure this is just the beginning and there is more to follow. I would urge everyone at IIM Jammu to keep working hard and contributing to the progress and development of the Institute and the nation.”

Speaking about the recognition, Prof. Jabir Ali shares, “I am extremely happy to receive this honour, which is one of the most prestigious awards in the category. I am thankful to ICAI for recognizing and honouring the efforts. I would like to thank Professor B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu for his constant support and motivation.”

Dr. Vaseem Akram on the proud occasion said, “I would like to thank Prof. B.S Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu for his guidance. This kind of recognition is an inspiration to keep performing better in your core area.”

Dr. Vaseem Akram has published numerous papers in internationally refereed journals including Economic Modelling, Renewable, and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Energy Policy, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Utilities Policy, Economic Analysis and Policy, Applied Economics Letter, Journal of Economic Studies, International Economics and Economic Policy, and Global Economy Journal.

Prof. Jabir Ali has successfully completed more than 30 research/consultancy projects funded by State/ Central Government and international agencies and coordinated several Management Development Programmes for participants from Asian and African Countries. He has traveled to more than 20 countries for academic assignments and has attended Case Writing Workshop and Global Colloquium on Participant-Centered Learning at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA. 

He has published more than 40 research papers in refereed national and international journals such as the International Journal of Consumer Studies (Wiley- Blackwell), Health Policy and Planning (Oxford University Press), International Journal of Information Management (Elsevier), Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development (Emerald), British Food Journal (Emerald), Journal of Food Products Marketing (Routledge), Journal of Foodservice Business Research (Routledge) and Business Perspectives and Research (Sage), South Asia Research (Sage), Gender in Management (Emerald) with impressive research impact as a listing of 38 research papers in Scopus. Most of the papers are also listed in the Journal Citation Report of Clarivate Analytics and ABDC.

From the very beginning, IIM Jammu has set high standards for outstanding value-based quality education, high-quality research, executive education, consultancy, and strong corporate as well as international linkages. IIM Jammu encourages contemporary research concentrating on regional, national, and global issues.