The Jarislowsky / SNC-Lavalin Research Chair in the Management of International Projects was founded in January 2010 in partnership with the Jarislowsky Foundation and the firm SNC-Lavalin. Led by Professor Robert Pellerin, professor in Polytechnique Montréal's Department of Mathematics and Industrial Engineering, the Jarislowsky / SNC-Lavalin Research Chair looks at better ways to plan and control major engineering projects. It focuses its work on the design of planning and monitoring methods and tools intended for international projects that are highly complex due to their size, their level of uncertainty and their significant logistical needs. The study of this research topic rests on the application of various techniques, including operational research, business process simulation and modelling, and the development of decision-making tools. The skills for this work are strongly represented within Polytechnique's Department of Mathematics and Industrial Engineering.

“As well as recruiting foreign researchers and interns from the world's best universities, since 2010 the Chair has made it possible to train highly qualified personnel on the SNC-Lavalin project management processes, create numerous hands-on internships, directly involve many collaborators at SNC-Lavalin in identifying and carrying out research projects, present workshops and lectures to our partners, strengthen research at Polytechnique when it comes to technological project management, establish lasting international scientific collaborations, and publish a number of articles in international science journals and conferences,” says Professor Robert Pellerin.

The Research Chair will enjoy an initial budget of $650,000 over the coming five years (2015–2019), $400,000 of which comes from the Jarislowsky Foundation and $250,000 from SNC-Lavalin. Including the projects currently underway, the Chair's partners will be investing over $1 million to support Professor Pellerin's research team over the next five years. Most of the budget will be earmarked for funding student researchers who will work on the various elements of the Chair's scientific programming.

The Jarislowsky Foundation has been involved with Polytechnique for more than 15 years. Its goal is to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and international competitiveness in technology, to help develop a highly qualified workforce, and to help better position Canadian businesses on the international market. The Jarislowsky Foundation's involvement is motivated by the desire to foster the development of cutting-edge planning and international project management skills, and to directly support Canadian industry and SNC-Lavalin by equipping them with the tools to manage complex projects and boost their international growth. For its part, SNC-Lavalin is one of the world's leading engineering, procurement, construction and related technical services organizations, serving selected industry sectors and geographic markets. SNC-Lavalin achieves this through the know-how of its people, by contributing to the success of its clients through value-added services and by continuous investment in the improvement of its technical and managerial competence. SNC-Lavalin's involvement is perfectly aligned with the aim of international influence and the development of cutting-edge skills. 

Alongside its key financial partners, the Jarislowsky / SNC-Lavalin Research Chair is supported by the Polytechnique Foundation and by various research groups and communities of practice that touch on different facets of project planning. The list includes CIRRELT, CEFRIO and the Montréal chapter of PMI.

Left to right: Gilles Savard, Dean of Research and Innovation, Polytechnique; Ève Beauchamp, Executive Director, Jarislowsky Foundation; Louise Fournier, Executive Director, PMI-Montréal; Benoît De Grâce, Vice-President, Business Development, PMI-Montréal; Sedki Allaoui, student researcher with the Chair; Diane De Champlain, CEO, Polytechnique Foundation; Christophe Guy, CEO of Polytechnique; Stephen A. Jarislowsky, President of the Jarislowsky Foundation; Robert Pellerin, Chairholder; Jacques D. Landry, Senior Vice-President, Project Management Systems, SNC-Lavalin; Jean-Paul Konecny, Director, Training, Project Start-Up and Business Development, Project Management Systems, SNC-Lavalin; Pierre Baptiste, Director of the Department of Mathematics and Industrial Engineering; Nathalie Marcoux, Team Leader, Project Management Training Program, Project Management Systems, SNC-Lavalin; Kaouthar Cherkaoui, student researcher with the Chair; Fadwa Chtita, student researcher with the Chair; Nathalie Perrier, research associate; and Georges Baydoun, student researcher with the Chair.

For more information on the Chair: www.polymtl.ca/chairejsnc/index.php (in French only).