21 May Successful Conclusion of the 28th International Congress on Project Management
The 28th International Congress on Project Management, titled “Project Management in the Digital Decade,” was held from May 16 to 18 at Hotel Izvor in Aranđelovac. The event brought together over 190 participants from more than 15 countries.
At the opening ceremony, the Congress participants were welcomed by Prof. Dr. Vladimir Obradović, President of IPMA Serbia, and Prof. Dr. Mladen Vukomanović, President of IPMA.
The Congress began with an inspiring keynote speech by Dr. Constanze Mariani, a researcher at Politecnico di Milano, on the topic “The Next Frontier: Exploring the Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Project Management Practices.” This was followed by a presentation from Aca Momčilović, Global Director of IPMA SIG for Artificial Intelligence, who engaged the audience with his topic “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Workforce.” Prof. Dr. Dušan Barać, Vice Dean for Digital Development at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, captured significant attention with his presentation on “Project Management in Digital Transformation.”
Participants of the congress engaged in panels, roundtable discussions, and presentation sections. All papers from the presentation sections will be published in the Proceedings of the 28th Congress, with selected papers to be featured in the European Project Management Journal.
Several panel discussions on current topics were organized during the congress, including:
● “Digitalization in Construction Project Management: Challenges and Opportunities,” moderated by Dr. Zorana Petojević, featuring representatives from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade, and numerous companies from the construction sector in Serbia and the region.
● “Project Sustainability: ESG, CSR, and Future Strategies,” moderated by Prof. Dr. Tamara Vlastelica from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade. Key panelists included Dražen Maravić, founder of the Center for Future Studies, Amin Saidoun, Executive Director of IPMA, and Peter Sandor from China Tiejiuju Engineering & Construction Ltd.
● “Managing Projects of Public Interest,” moderated by Srđan Topalović, M.Sc. CE, Acc. Spec. Env. E., which gathered representatives from the private, public, and civil sectors.
● “Strategic Project Management in Research Organizations,” moderated by Prof. Dr. Vladimir Obradović from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade. This panel brought together researchers from institutes in Serbia involved in the SAIGE project and other institutes, providing participants with an overview of the strategies developed within this project.
In addition to the panels, the roundtable discussion “PMO – One-Stop Shop,” supported by Siemens Energy and moderated by Vladimir Rašović from Siemens Energy TI EAD EU&AF Operations, attracted significant interest. The discussion contributed to understanding the importance and formation of PMO structures within organizations, the specific roles and responsibilities of PMO leaders, the application of AI within PMOs, and other important topics in this field.
The hybrid IPMA Young Crew workshop for young project managers on the topic “Technical Perspectives in the Digital Decade – How Startup Projects Shape New Reality” was led by Dr. Kristijan Robert Prebanić, a member of the IPMA YC Management Board from Croatia, along with Vladan Stepanović and Sara Stojiljković, representatives of IPMA Young Crew Serbia.
IPMA Serbia thanks all participants who attended the 28th International Congress on Project Management and contributed to the success of this year’s event through their active participation. We invite everyone to follow us and participate in the 28th International Congress on Project Management, the date and location of which will be announced later.
