This book presents a selection of the best papers from the 18th International Conference on Business Excellence, “Smart Solutions for a Sustainable Future” (ICBE 2024), held in Bucharest, Romania, in March 2024. In today's rapidly evolving landscape, characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), the need to reshape business practices is of major importance. The book gathers research findings and perspectives on the new challenges in particularly in the field of digital economy and research systems. It focuses on the realignment of organizations and research systems offering valuable insights into the context of global crises and providing solutions to the real challenges we are facing today.