MeRIT Megaproject Research Interdisciplinary Team

Dear all, MeRIT is approaching! 🚀 Call for Papers: MeRIT Conference and Workshop 2024 🚀 📅 Deadline: October 4th, 2024 🔍 Conference Title: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 📢 We invite academic researchers, PhD students, and megaproject professionals to submit their papers for the MeRIT (Megaproject Research Interdisciplinary Team) Conference and Workshop. This is a unique opportunity to showcase your research and practical insights on how megaprojects can tackle some of the world's grand challenges. 🌟 Conference Themes: 1. Purpose Beyond Financial Goals: Exploring the broader impacts of megaprojects 2. Governance and Policy: Shaping the frameworks for successful megaprojects. 3. Sustainable Megaprojects: Innovations and practices for sustainability. 4. Technological Advancements and Digitalization: The role of tech in transforming megaprojects. 📚 Why Submit? - The Scientific Committee is stellar: Maude Brunet Juliano Denicol Francesco Di Maddaloni Primiano Di Nauta Nathalie Drouin Efrosyni Konstantinou Nuno Gil Prof. Martina Huemann Lavagnon Ika Donald Lessard Giorgio Locatelli Mauro Mancini Gianluigi Mangia Gilbert Silvius Rodney Turner Vedran Zerjav Fabio Borghetti Paolo Canonico Rodrigo Juarez Ernesto De Nito Franca Cantoni Francesco Timpano Edoardo Favari, PhD, PMP, ENV-SP, SSBB - Selected papers (minimum 4500 words) will be presented at the workshop, Published by Springer Nature Group and indexed in Scopus and WoS. - Engage with experts across disciplines (organization, sociology, law, marketing, engineering, etc.) and sectors (public, private, nonprofit). - The author of the best PhD paper will be funded to attend the #EURAM Doctoral Colloquim, promoting project management scholars wihin the EURAM Project Organising SIG 🔗 Details & Submission: https://lnkd.in/divJJNaj Join us in advancing the field of megaprojects and addressing global challenges! 🌍✍️Politecnico di Milano Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore AIIT_Italia #MeRIT2024 #Megaprojects #Research #Sustainability #Innovation #CallForPapers

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore #FacoltàdiEconomiaeGiurisprudenza MeRIT Megaproject Research Interdisciplinary Team I am delighted to receive the award for "#BestYoungPaper’ at MeRIT Megaproject Research Interdisciplinary Team conference held on 21-22 November 2024 at Piacenza campus of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.  I am truly grateful to Francesco Timpano, Franca Cantoni, Edoardo Favari, PhD, PMP, PMI-ACP, ENV-SP, SSBB and all the organisers of the Conference and all the members of the Scientific Committee for assigning me the prize.

💡Il 21 e 22 novembre ho avuto l’onore di partecipare alla Conferenza Internazionale MeRIT (MeRIT Megaproject Research Interdisciplinary Team) a Piacenza. Giunta alla sua quinta edizione, questa conferenza si conferma un’importante piattaforma di confronto sui megaprogetti infrastrutturali sostenibili. Il tema di quest’anno, “Sustaining the future”, ha offerto spunti di riflessione fondamentali sulle sfide globali e sul ruolo cruciale dei megaprogetti nel promuovere uno sviluppo più sostenibile e inclusivo. Attraverso il confronto tra esperti e professionisti di diversi settori, è emersa con forza l’importanza di adottare un approccio che metta al centro la sostenibilità e il coinvolgimento delle comunità locali. 🌟 Sono stati due giorni ricchi di ispirazione e apprendimento. Un sentito grazie ai miei professori Francesco Timpano e Franca Cantoni e all’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore per creare occasioni così preziose per noi studenti. #MeRit #FuturoSostenibile #Megaprogetti #Sustainability

Last week, I had the opportunity to present a paper I authored, “The Holistic View in Forecasting: A Conceptual Framework to Analyze and Mitigate Cost Underestimation Arising from Optimism Bias,” at the MeRIT Megaproject Research Interdisciplinary Team Conference in Piacenza, Italy. The conference offered engaging discussions and a chance to connect with both scholars and practitioners who share a passion for advancing megaproject research. It was a rewarding experience to exchange ideas and perspectives while surrounded by the incredible atmosphere of Italy’s stunning locations. Excited to continue exploring these topics and building on the insights gained from this event!

🌍 The MERIT Conference on Sustainability in Megaprojects was packed with thought-provoking ideas and bold visions for the future. Here are some standout moments that inspired me: 📘 Rodney Turner introduced insights from his latest book, co-authored with Nathalie Drouin, emphasizing governance structures that foster stronger, relational contracts and trust in project management. His poignant reminder? Megaprojects impact more than landscapes—they touch lives, homes, and mental well-being. 🏗️ Reimagining abandonment: Francesco Di Maddaloni spoke for his students, shedding light on the causes and consequences of abandoned infrastructure projects. Sometimes, ethical abandonment paves the way for innovation—reminding us to embrace adaptability in a rapidly changing world. 🚄 Lessons from HS2: The UK's high-speed rail megaproject revealed the complexities of aligning scope with ambitious goals. It’s a call to action to stay focused on delivering meaningful impact. Maybe someday Leeds will be connected! 💡 The optimism bias: Giuseppe Sassano is developing a holistic view to tackle chronic cost underestimations in megaprojects. His work reminded us of the balance between ambition and realism. 🌱 Sustainability in action: Nathalie Drouin's Montreal Airport case study was a masterclass in embedding ESG principles into project goals, turning vision into real-world change. So often presentations are either stories of success or failure; I loved how she was able to weave both together in her narrative. 🚧 Rodrigo Juarez noted that megaprojects are often terminated because of a “reverse escalation of commitment.”  When we cancel a project there is frequently no plan on what happens next.  We may need to do site remediation or conversion, and those costs often aren’t built into the cost of cancelation. 🚦 Stakeholder engagement: Marco Libretti and @Maria Cristina Fregni inspired with approaches to deep community involvement and environmental stewardship. Fabio Pressi, CEO of A2A Mobilitá, described the challenges of building out electric vehicle infrastructure - demonstrating the importance of adaptability in a dynamic regulatory and technological landscape. There was a fascinating dialogue at the end of the session about the challenges of bringing uninformed stakeholders in to comment on a project that they can't understand technologically. 🏅 Purpose beyond profits: The conference culminated in a powerful conversation on redefining success—not just in financial terms but through the positive impact we create for society and the planet. The MERIT Conference reinforced that megaprojects are more than engineering marvels—they are opportunities to shape a better, more sustainable future. Let’s continue to push boundaries, innovate fearlessly, and create projects that truly matter. 🚀 #Sustainability #Megaprojects #Innovation #Inspiration #Collaboration #Projectmanagement

🎉 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐑𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒! 🎉 We are thrilled to share the outstanding success of the 𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐑𝐈𝐓 (𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦) 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, held last Thursday and Friday in the beautiful city of Piacenza, Italy. This year’s theme, “𝑆𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒: 𝐴𝑑𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑀𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠,” brought together a remarkable group of leading academics, and practitioners. Through engaging discussions and thought-provoking presentations, we explored how megaprojects can drive innovative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time. 🌍✨ A special highlight of this year’s conference was the launch of FuoriMeRIT, a new initiative aimed at engaging the local community. Held in Italian, this event created a bridge between research and the public, sparking vibrant conversations about the future of megaprojects and sustainability in the territory hosting the event. The enthusiasm and participation from the community were truly inspiring—what an incredible first year! 👏 We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the speakers, attendees, and organizers who made this event such a success. Your passion and expertise continue to shape the future of megaprojects and their critical role in addressing global challenges. Here’s to pushing boundaries and driving change together! 🚀 See you next year! Please stay tuned to know the 2025 dates and location! #MeRIT2024 #Megaprojects #Sustainability #InterdisciplinaryResearch #CommunityEngagement #FuoriMeRIT #Piacenza #projectmanagement #polimi #unicatt Nathalie Drouin Rodney Turner Rodrigo Juarez jennifer tharp Franca Cantoni Costanza Mariani Francesco Di Maddaloni Francesco Timpano Fabio Borghetti Edoardo Favari, PhD, PMP, PMI-ACP, ENV-SP, SSBB Primiano Di Nauta Andrea Purpura Mauro Mancini Marco Libretti Maria Cristina Fregni Fabio Pressi Stefano Erba Paolo Perugini Paolo Rapinesi Prof. Martina Huemann Giorgio Locatelli Laura Galvagni pierangelo carbone Paolo Torassa Luca Groppi What was your key takeaway from MeRIT 2024? Share your thoughts below! 👇

It was a pleasure to take part in the #MeRIT conference in Piacenza today, together with colleagues and students with whom we discussed the impacts of projects on the ecosystem and community and sustainability in design approaches. Politecnica is always happy to share expertise and knowledge with others in order to build a common ground for better design and transformations. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Edoardo Favari, PhD, PMP, PMI-ACP, ENV-SP, SSBB Fabio Pressi #sustainability #ecosystem #megaproject

Yesterday I had the wonderful experience of presenting at the MeRIT Megaproject Research Interdisciplinary Team conference the paper titled: “AI-enabled Multi-Project Governance: A Proposed Framework”, co-authored with Costanza Mariani and Mauro Mancini. The conference was a really stimulating environment with presentations of the amazing research work such as the one of Nathalie Drouin.

Today, in the wonderful Sala dei Teatini in Piacenza, we had the opportunity to discuss #MegaProjects. The exploration of #electricmobility within the framework provided by literature is particularly intriguing. These projects involve 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, require 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞, and bring together 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 from both the 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬. Electric vehicles present a distributed model with potentially greater challenges to address. #Time is a critical factor, as technological advancements may evolve significantly during the course of these projects. Moreover, #socialconsiderations play a vital role: not only must all stakeholders be satisfied, but citizens' expectations must also be met, as the transformation of mobility is deeply impacting our daily lives. I want to emphasize two fundamental pillars of mobility that align closely with the characteristics of MegaProjects: #sustainability and #flexibility. Mobility is evolving to meet sustainability goals, proving over time its remarkable ability to adapt to emerging political and technological challenges. Rodrigo Juarez Nathalie Drouin Maria Cristina Fregni Marco Libretti Edoardo Favari, PhD, PMP, PMI-ACP, ENV-SP, SSBB

It was a great pleasure to participate in the MeRIT Megaproject Research Interdisciplinary Team) Conference in Piacenza, Italy. During the event, I had the opportunity to present some recent research results on ESG principles; moderate a panel of practitioners on "Addressing Human Impact on Ecosystems," and; introduce the new team at the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business. A special thank you to the organizers, Edoardo Favari, PhD, PMP, PMI-ACP, ENV-SP, SSBB Franca Cantoni, as well as to my co-editor-in-chief Francesco Di Maddaloni and the Journal social media leader Erik Araya Aliaga, for their support in making this event a success.