The Retailers Association of India (RAI) and Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur (IIM Sambalpur) have officially announced a partnership in 2025 to enhance retail education and deepen industry-academia engagement.
Key Highlights of the Partnership
- This collaboration will provide IIM Sambalpur access to RAI’s extensive industry network, enabling students to engage with emerging retail business models, technologies and policy discussions.
- The initiative will include the development of hands-on learning opportunities for students, executive education modules, and the promotion of faculty-industry collaboration.
Why This Matters
- By linking academic rigour at IIM Sambalpur with the practical industry insights of RAI, the partnership aims to better prepare students for real-world retail challenges and accelerate innovation in the sector.
- The retail industry is evolving rapidly with omni-channel operations, new tech and changing consumer behaviour — hence, building richer education and industry linkages is timely.
- For RAI, this step strengthens its role not just as an industry body but as a facilitator of talent development and research within retail.
What’s Next
- Launch of executive programmes or certificate courses jointly by RAI & IIM Sambalpur.
- Creation of industry-led projects, internships or live case studies for students in retail.
- Research outputs or policy papers emerging from the collaboration addressing retail practices, digital transformation and education-industry gaps.
- Possible public events, seminars or workshops to showcase outcomes of the partnership.
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