The Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (www.dciia.org) is now accepting research submissions for consideration for its annual Academic Forum. The Forum will be held on November 13-14, 2018 in San Francisco. The audience at this event includes 350 senior business leaders from the retirement services industry including, investment managers, recordkeepers, consultants, and other service providers.

The Forum focuses on issues facing institutional defined contribution plan sponsors and plan participants (e.g., savers). Past Forums have included research touching upon choice behavior, mortality beliefs and their impact on savings and consumption, framing etc. The Forum itself is divided up into panels where researchers present insights from their research in the context of the session theme. This year, focus will be paid to researchers who can demonstrate commercial application to their insights and findings. Past topics include:

- Behavioral finance
- Plan design and outcomes
- Legal/fiduciary frameworks
- Financial wellness, advice, and education
- Environmental, social, and governance investing
- Aging, healthcare, and retirement
- Retirement income

The sessions are generally moderated by an industry layperson. It is expected that chosen researchers will make themselves available for prep calls and have any presentation materials available by mutually agreed upon deadlines. Also, speakers are welcomed to attend the Forum and the ancillary networking and social events associated with it. DCIIA does not pay honoraria, but will cover normal travel expenses associated with participating in the Forum.

If interested in submitting research for consideration, please do so by May 4, 2018. Your submission should include a copy of the research paper you are interested in discussing and a brief summation of why you believe its findings and insights would be of interest to DCIIA and its members. Please email bridget.bearden@dciia.org with any questions or submissions.