New Delhi, March 6 The Election Commission's training arm, IIIDEM, has launched three academic initiatives aimed at strengthening research, academic engagement, and student participation in the field of democracy and election management.
The initiatives also build upon the outcomes of the international conference on Inclusive Elections and Democracy 2026 and the ongoing symposium series organized by the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) to promote dialogue, research, and global exchange on contemporary democratic practices.
According to an IIIDEM statement, as part of the initiative, it has announced a "call for abstracts" for the proposed international academic conference on Democracy and Election Management, which will be held on June 18-19 here.
The conference aims to bring together faculty members and research scholars from universities and academic institutions to engage in evidence-based discussions on contemporary issues in democratic governance and election management.
IIIDEM has also launched "student connect – research challenge on democracy and election management," a research competition open to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The initiative encourages structured comparative research on electoral systems, institutional frameworks, legal provisions, and innovations adopted by election management bodies across different countries.
In addition, IIIDEM has introduced the academic outreach program on democracy and election management, under which student and faculty groups from universities will be invited for one-day immersive academic visits to the institution.