Category: Events

A recognition that highlights the professor’s work in bringing standardisation to the forefront of university education through dedicated courses, student activities, and European projects.

Nizar Abdelkafi, Associate Professor at the POLIMI School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano, is among the first recipients of the Standards+Innovation Award in the “Education” category, newly introduced by CEN and CENELEC to acknowledge excellence in education on standardization across Europe. The award ceremony took place in Brussels during the event “From knowledge to impact: Shaping Europe’s next innovation wave”.

The award highlights Prof. Abdelkafi’s commitment to integrating standardisation within university programmes. Standardisation refers to the development of shared technical rules that ensure compatibility, safety, and reliability across products, services, and technologies. Over the years, Nizar Abdelkafi has progressively embedded standards into his courses at Politecnico di Milano and previously at the University of Leipzig, Germany, adopting active learning methodologies – such as inquiry-driven methods, serious games and case-based learning – help students understand how standards support innovation, market access and interoperability. His co-authored textbook Understanding ICT Standardization (2nd edition), together with its teaching materials, is one of the few comprehensive academic resources available internationally in this field.

Within the Politecnico’s Passion in Action programme, Prof. Abdelkafi designed and launched the pilot course Standardization for Engineers, which explores the role of standards in relation to European values of inclusiveness, democracy, and sustainability. He has also collaborated with UNI, the Italian National Standards Body, to organise outreach activities for engineering students on campus.

In addition, Prof. Abdelkafi is an active member of the European project EDU4Standards.eu (discover more: EDU4Standards | Innovating how standardisation is taught in European Higher Education), helping to promote a culture of standardisation and encourage the exchange of teaching practices among international universities. His established research activities in the field continue to feed into teaching and outreach initiatives, strengthening the role of the POLIMI School of Management in promoting advanced education on a topic that is strategic for innovation and competitiveness in Europe.

More details on the Standards+Innovation Awards 2025 and the winners: https://www.standardsplusinnovation.eu/awards

Alessandro Paravano, Assistant Professor at the POLIMI School of Management, has been recognised for his innovative research on the future of commercial space stations.

The POLIMI School of Management at Politecnico di Milano is among the winners of the SGAC – OHB SE Competition 2025, an international initiative that rewards innovative ideas on the future of space stations in low Earth orbit (LEO) – the area of space a few hundred kilometres above Earth where the International Space Station is currently located, and where new infrastructures for research, innovation and economic activity are expected to be developed in the coming years.

Organised by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) in collaboration with OHB SE, one of Europe’s leading space technology companies, the competition brings together young professionals and researchers from around the world, inviting them to propose original perspectives on the future of Commercial Space Stations (CSSs). These infrastructures will succeed the International Space Station as platforms for scientific research, technological innovation and commercial initiatives.

The School’s achievement was made possible thanks to the contribution of Alessandro Paravano, Assistant Professor at POLIMI School of Management, author of the paper “Cross-Fertilization in Commercial Space Station Ecosystems: A Catalyst for Innovation and Growth”, co-authored with Sofia Morrone, Elisa Negrisolo and Paolo Trucco. Submissions to the competition were assessed for their ability to propose innovative approaches to new business models, global cooperation dynamics, and the long-term sustainability of commercial space station ecosystems.

Paravano’s research, based on network theory, highlights how the interdependencies between different actors – space agencies, private companies and research institutions – shape value creation processes within commercial space stations. His work stands out for its methodological rigour and innovative perspective, going beyond traditional market or technical analyses and offering new insights into how commercial space stations may evolve in a context where both competition and collaboration are crucial. This line of research also reflects broader trends in the space economy.

As part of the recognition, Paravano took part in two major international events: the 23rd Space Generation Congress (SGC) and the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), both held in Sydney between September and October 2025. These high-profile gatherings brought together young professionals, academics, industry leaders and policymakers, providing valuable opportunities for exchange and international collaboration.

The SGAC – OHB SE Competition 2025 was made possible thanks to the support of OHB SE, one of Europe’s leading space systems integrators. Headquartered in Germany, the company has over 40 years of experience and works closely with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on major programmes such as the ISS, the Lunar Gateway, PLATO and ExoMars.

This award highlights the commitment of the POLIMI School of Management to advancing research on the value, governance and long-term impact of complex projects, with a particular focus on the emerging challenges of the space economy.

Find out more about the SGAC – OHB SE Competition 2025 and its winners: SGAC Announces the Winners of the 2025 SGAC – OHB SE Competition – Space Generation Advisory Council

Giacomo Dei, a PhD candidate at the POLIMI School of Management of Politecnico di Milano, has been awarded the Ronald B. Shuman Award at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2025 for a study on how historical narratives influence decision-making in major infrastructure projects.

The Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management is the world’s leading event for advancing research in management and organisations. Each year, it brings together thousands of scholars to share knowledge, foster networks, and address the key challenges of the 21st century. 

At the 2025 edition held in Copenhagen, Giacomo Dei, PhD candidate at the POLIMI School of Management of Politecnico di Milano, received the prestigious Ronald B. Shuman Award for the Best Student Paper of the Management History Division. The award was granted for his contribution, “The Battle of Narratives: How outsiders create pasts to shape Fehmarn Belt Link’s prospects”, co-authored with Joana Geraldi and Giorgio Locatelli. 

The research addresses a crucial issue for the planning and governance of large-scale infrastructure projects: how external actors (such as the media, interest groups and political parties) construct historical narratives to guide current decisions and shape future project outcomes. The case study focuses on the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, the immersed tunnel that will connect Denmark and Germany, but the findings provide practical insights for managing, governing, and communicating complex projects in a variety of contexts. 

Three key levers emerge for the strategic management of stakeholders: 

1. Continuity: framing the project within recognised historical trajectories (e.g., European integration, territorial connectivity) strengthens the legitimacy of investment decisions and project planning. 

1. Lessons learned: selectively drawing on past experiences (e.g., financing models, governance structures, environmental mitigation) allows potential bottlenecks to be anticipated and contracts, permits and interfaces along the supply chain to be adjusted. 

1. Recurring patterns: identifying in advance common scenarios (delays, cost overruns, disputes) enables the proactive design of countermeasures. 

The key message is that narratives are an integral part of project architecture. Mapping who communicates what becomes a strategic activity in itself, translating into scenarios, communication milestones, measurable success criteria, and contracts that incorporate transparency, data and environmental monitoring requirements. The aim is not to impose a single dominant narrative, but to orchestrate multiple voices so that the project gains support from all stakeholders. 

This recognition highlights the scientific excellence of the POLIMI School of Management and its ability to generate knowledge that supports strategic decision-making in complex contexts. 

From 4 to 7 August 2025, the international conference organised by the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society (TEMS) took place in San Diego, CA. TEMSCON Global 2025 is a global reference point for research and practice in technology management, leadership, and innovation.

In this renowned setting, Francesco Alessandro Cuzzola, researcher at the POLIMI School of Management, received the Best Paper Award for his study “Mitigating Demand Fluctuations in Long Supply Chains Through Dataspaces”, which he wrote with his co-authors Marco Taisch and Walter Quadrini.

The research, conducted as part of the MAASive project, aimed to develop models and technological solutions to support businesses and value chains in adopting Manufacturing as a Service approaches to strengthen their resilience. The research analysed the problem of demand fluctuations in complex supply chains, known as the bullwhip effect.

Using a simplified linear simulator, the study compares two scenarios:

• one with limited transparency, in which supply chain partners have partial information;
• one with total transparency, made possible by adopting dataspace technologies that enable real-time data sharing.

The results show that the transparency enabled by dataspaces significantly reduces both demand amplification and inventory fluctuations throughout the supply chain.

This recognition confirms the POLIMI School of Management’s leading role in international research on innovation management and technologies for future businesses once again.