Research conferences tend to be a succession of presentations of academics, with critical feedback at the end to find the weaknesses in the methodology, argumentation or conclusion. They are important for the growth both of the individual researchers, for the further development of the subject and for the whole profession.  However an important stakeholder group is missing in this setting, these are the professionals. What are their challenges and needs, what do they need to know in greater depths, where are new systematic knowledge or methods needed, these topics are not addressed in classic research conferences.

Therefore the German Project Management Association GPM started in 2008 with a different kind of conference, the “Forschungswerkstatt”. As this concept is difficult to translate, we need to describe it. The aim of this reunion is to offer the participants an innovative platform in which today´s and future challenges can not only be discussed, but new approaches can also be experienced in practice. The participants are a diverse group of project management experts from science, research and industry.

A “werkstatt” is hereby understood as a workplace, a work shop, garage, studio or job shop. It is a place where specialists accomplish a task with appropriate tools. A workshop is also a gathering of experts to solve problems or to practice directly on the subject. This is the idea underlying the research workshop: to experiment with new methods, to try out different approaches from other areas like psychology or social sciences, gaining new experience with diverse approaches and thereby reaching new perspectives. Reflecting on one’s own ways of thinking and working, discussing innovative theories opens up new perspectives and thus extended options for action.

In order to achieve greater synergy effects, to form new international research networks and to better understand the regional challenges of project managers  IPMA started in 2013 to continue the German Forschungswerkstatt idea as an international event. The aim of the research workshop is to provide interdisciplinary and interactive networking of scientists and researchers from all countries with industry experts in order to develop new topics on the future of project management transnationally.

The participation in the IPMA Research Conference offers PM researchers and project managers the opportunity to discuss their challenges in a diverse setting. The international exchange broadens the horizons of everybody and gives the chance to see projects, the people who lead them and their specific way of doing so in a unique way. New people from different continents with different attitudes and working styles, new methods from the different parts of the world, new leadership styles, new perspectives on challenges, new innovative tools enriched by an excursion to real life projects: there is no other international project management conference that contains that many aspects.

The workshop enables the participants to cope better with their task in the respective context. At the same time, new research questions are identified. In addition scientists can identify new fields of action and potentials for the further development of the diverse discipline of project management and to receive suggestions for their own research projects.

The selection of the locations for the international conference sets the frame for the annual theme. Differences between Eastern and Western project management approaches were the theme in 2014 in Tianjin, China. Project management in emerging Economies the 2015 theme in South Africa. Sustainability in Project management was the 2016 theme in Iceland, and Project Management and success the theme of the 2017 conference in the tiger state of Korea. The theme of the 2018 conference in Rio de Janeiro pays tribute to its host with the content “Project Management and its impact on societies”.

The IPMA Research Conference is a unique reunion of afficionados of project management celebrating the diversity of our profession, the resourcefulness of our global association IPMA, the richness of the different approaches and the great people contributing to it.