I attended the 2026 R&D Management Conference at the Alliance Manchester Business School this week, and returning to the place where RADMA essentially shaped our discipline back in the 1980s was fantastic. But while the location brought back great memories, the focus was entirely on the future!

This year’s theme, Creativity and resilience in an era of technological disruption, could not have been more timely. As Editor-in-Chief of R&D Management, I have watched our community’s debate shift rapidly over the last couple of years. We used to spend most of our time discussing open innovation frameworks, university-industry linkages, and corporate venture clienting. Today, Generative AI is completely rewriting how knowledge is searched, absorbed, and combined.

During my sessions, I wanted to emphasize a critical point: while algorithms can scan patent databases and scientific literature at unprecedented speeds, they cannot replace human serendipity or absorptive capacity. Managing R&D today isn’t about automating the discovery process—it’s about empowering researchers and leaders to steer these technological tools without losing creative intuition.

It was wonderful to reconnect with long-time colleagues and exchange ideas with brilliant early-career scholars. I left Manchester with a renewed conviction: no matter how fast algorithms evolve, the human element in R&D will always make the difference.

Photos:R&D Managment