The Megaprojects at Aalborg University: A review and assessment

This article investigates the performance of Megaprojects, a joint initiative launched in 2019 by Aalborg University (AAU) in cooperation with Aalborg Municipality. Despite its steady growth, Megaprojects face numerous challenges and issues. To identify these concerns, two surveys and eleven in-depth interviews were conducted. One survey focused on students’ (across five faculties) and the other on staff’s opinion and motivation to participate in Megaprojects. Altogether, 267 usable survey responses were received. The in-depth interviews were conducted with the Megaproject manager at AAU, the Megaproject manager from Aalborg Municipality, one of the Megaproject founders, three coordinators of the Megaprojects and five academic staff members. The findings of this research were presented to the Megaproject management, AAU management, incl., vice-rector, deans, and academic staff, and Aalborg Municipality representatives.
The article discusses key challenges and issues hindering the performance of Megaprojects and puts forward a number of actionable recommendations to enhance the performance of Megaprojects.