General view of the Bignami building on IMD Campus Lausanne.
(Photo: Dorian Tosca/IMD)
IMD TO HOST 2026 WORLD COMPETITIVENESS SUMMIT IN ZURICH
IMD will host its 2026 World Competitiveness Summit on June 18 at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue in Rüschlikon, Zurich. The one-day event will coincide with the release of the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking.
The summit is organized through IMD’s World Competitiveness Center, which studies how nations and companies compete and tracks competitiveness across economies. The 2026 forum will bring together senior government officials, business leaders, economists, and policy makers to discuss what drives national and organizational performance in a changing global economy.
Sessions will focus on three themes: redefining competitiveness, where power lives, and the shifting balance. Topics include technology and competitiveness, talent and education, cities versus countries, middle powers and the Global South, and how countries attract and mobilize capital.
Speakers include H.E. Maryam bint Ahmed Al-Hammadi, minister of state and secretary-general of the United Arab Emirates Cabinet; H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE minister of state for AI, digital economy, and remote work applications; Andreas Berger, group CEO of Swiss Re; Bruno Le Maire, former French minister of economy and finance; Joël Mesot, president of ETH Zurich; and Robert W. Staiger, WTO chief economist and director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division.
Participants will receive priority access to the 2026 ranking data and have opportunities to meet with international economic leaders, policy makers, and C-suite executives.
UC IRVINE MERAGE CUTS MBA TUITION, ADDS AI TO CURRICULUM
UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business will reduce tuition for its Flex MBA and Executive MBA programs beginning this fall, while redesigning both programs to include more AI-focused business training.
Flex MBA tuition will drop by $30,000, bringing the program cost to $99,000. Executive MBA tuition will fall by $48,000. The school says the new Flex MBA price falls below the federal loan cap for graduate business degrees, a move meant to reduce the financial barrier for working professionals.
The tuition cuts come with curriculum changes. AI and emerging technologies will be built into core business disciplines, and both programs will offer in-person, online, and blended formats. The school also says both programs can now be completed in under two years.
“This is about access and relevance,” Ian O. Williamson, dean of the Merage School of Business, said in the release. “We’ve redesigned these programs to reflect today’s economy, where AI, flexibility and return on investment matter, and made them more attainable for professionals ready to advance their career.”
The school says about 43% of Flex MBA students earn a promotion while still enrolled. Merage also points to its Orange County location, where students have access to employers across the region’s business sectors.
Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School.
WASHU OLIN LAUNCHES AI SCHOLARSHIP AND EXECUTIVE EDUCATION OFFERING
Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School has launched two initiatives aimed at workers and companies trying to adapt to AI-driven change.
The school is offering a new $10,000 AI Workforce Transformation Scholarship for professionals pursuing its Master’s in AI for Business. Olin also introduced an AI-focused Executive Education offering designed to help organizations move from early experimentation to broader adoption.
Both initiatives were developed with corporate partners and focus on practical use. The programs will help leaders identify where AI can create value, redesign workflows, and scale adoption across organizations.
The initiatives build on Olin’s work in applied AI and analytics. According to the school, eight of the last 10 Olin Award winners have focused on AI-related research, a sign of the school’s emphasis on research tied to business practice.
The announcement follows earlier coverage of Olin’s Master’s in AI for Business program and reflects a broader push among business schools to prepare both employees and employers for AI’s impact on work.
UC RIVERSIDE TO LAUNCH FULLY ONLINE MBA
UC Riverside’s School of Business will launch a fully online MBA program this fall, expanding access to graduate business education for students who cannot attend classes on campus.
The program will allow students in California, across the U.S., and abroad to earn a University of California MBA remotely while continuing to work or manage family and other responsibilities. UCR says it will be the only fully online MBA program in the UC system based in Southern California.
“This online MBA program opens the door to a high-quality graduate business education for talented people whose work, family, military service, or geographic circumstances make attending classes on campus difficult,” Yunzeng Wang, dean of UCR’s School of Business, said in the announcement.
The curriculum will mirror the goals of UCR’s existing MBA programs, with courses in organizational behavior, finance, accounting, economics, information systems, marketing, operations management, and strategy. Students will also take electives in specialized business areas.
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of professional work experience. GMAT and GRE scores will be optional for applicants with undergraduate GPAs of 3.0 or higher. Courses will combine prerecorded content with live online class sessions, and students will have access to networking, professional workshops, and career development resources.
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