NTNU teams up with Berkeley in $580K research programme

16 Dec 2009 | Network Updates | Update from NTNU
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NTNU is joining forces with the University of California at Berkeley and the energy company Statoil in a $580,000 collaboration on ‘Understanding Success and Developing Management Leadership on International Mega Projects’.

“We wish to see this initiative develop the best project and function managers across the whole industry,” said Gunnar Myrebøe, executive vice president in Statoil Projects & Procurement. “We have entered into this agreement because we believe collaboration between academics and industry is crucial to further develop our perspectives and skills in project development. We want to be a benchmark in the market.”

The research initiative, headed by UC Berkeley professor Iris Tommelein and NTNU professor Asbjørn Rolstadås, brings together an international and multi-disciplinary group of academic researchers and industry colleagues with expertise in mega-project management, to collaborate on case study-based research on mega-projects.

The aim is to develop a comprehensive understanding of how to lead, manage and succeed within international mega projects and to develop educational material to strengthen the capabilities of Statoil’s supplier companies in managing mega-projects in geographically and geopolitically diverse settings.

“Large-scale projects may cost billions of dollars to perform and deliver. As Statoil’s projects become more geographically diverse and complex, they also become increasingly challenging to lead and manage”, Myrebøe says.

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