Project Management Institute Celebrates Projects Transforming the World through the Launch of its 2022 Most Influential Projects List

Fourth Annual List Highlights More than 200 Projects Creating Change, From Reimagining the Modern Workspace to Envisioning the Most Complex and Powerful Telescope Ever Built

15 November 2022

Today, Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading organization for the project management profession, announced its fourth annual list of Most Influential Projects showing the top 50 influential projects of the past 12 months. The list, which made its debut in 2019 in honor of PMI's 50th anniversary, highlights compelling projects around the world and across industries that achieved significant milestones and transformed their sectors. The list highlights the progress project teams have made on innovative projects in education, climate action, architecture, technology, healthcare, and more.

The 2022 Most Influential Projects list proves how project managers can make this happen – even in the most challenging of times. The PMI® 2022 Global Megatrends report identified six megatrends reshaping every corner of the globe that continue to have an impact on both business and how we live — from digital disruption and climate change to movements for equality. As organizations develop ideas to mitigate their negative impacts, they have long turned to project managers to help them turn these ideas into reality.

"At PMI, we believe that excellence in project execution is critical in meeting today's challenges and opportunities," said Pierre Le Manh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Project Management Institute. "This year's Most Influential Projects demonstrate the power of projects – and the project professionals behind them – to drive impact and shape our future."

Members of the project management community—including experts, volunteers, academics, and industry leaders from across the globe—provided input and nominations for this year's list. The pool of candidate projects, which numbered in the thousands, was then vetted by a PMI thought leadership team. The final list reflects how PMI envisions projects: as powerful forces in creating change, reaching goals, and solving problems. The project professionals and teams behind these projects are empowered individuals who creatively solve problems, help cross-functional teams work together, and shape the future of their organizations and communities alike.

Honorees include momentous triumphs, such as reimagining the modern workforce to meet the demands of employees and employers; envisioning the most complex and powerful telescope ever built; and countering urban sprawl while elevating affordable housing options. This list also includes highly impactful, but lesser-known victories such as Battersea Power Station Regeneration and Orca. Additionally, PMI curated 30 lists recognizing the Top 10 Most Influential Projects in a variety of regions and industries. In total, the lists include more than 200 breakthrough efforts across a wide range of industries and geographies.

The Top 50 Most Influential Projects*

  1. The New HQ - For reimagining the modern workplace

  2. Webb Space Telescope - For envisioning the most complex and powerful telescope ever built

  3. Real Tone- For enabling more realistic, inclusive imagery

  4. Egypt High-Speed Rail - For accelerating transit of cargo and commuters across Egypt—sustainably

  5. ABBA Voyage - For creating a moveable feast of pop culture spectacle

  6. Machine Learning Bootcamp - For creating future-ready workers at all levels

  7. Digital Real - For modernizing Brazil’s economy with a new digital currency

  8. Battersea Power Station Regeneration - For bringing new life to a once-iconic but long-abandoned power station

  9. Roam Air - For charting a new, cleaner course for motorbikes in Kenya

  10. Metaverse Studio - For helping architects explore a new digital dimension of design

  11. Human Genome Project - For (finally) completing the human genome sequence

  12. Oceanix Busan - For reimagining what—and where—a city can be

  13. Startup Lions Campus - For nurturing Kenya’s next generation of entrepreneurs with a new school built for upskilling

  14. Project Gigaton - For slashing emissions—and encouraging others across the supply chain to do the same

  15. Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing - For paving the way toward a more integrated ecosystem

  16. Gucci Town - For forging a new kind of retail community in the metaverse

  17. Verkor EV Gigafactory - For meeting the soaring demand for electric vehicle batteries while
    jumpstarting French industry, too

  18. Diriyah Gate - For blending the past and future to create a one-of-a-kind tourist destination—and community

  19. PandemicX Accelerator - For bringing government agencies and startups together to create an
    innovation incubator of healthcare inclusion

  20. The Curve Edit - For making a plus-size fashion statement

  21. Lvzhijiang Bridge - For opening up mobility options by pushing the limits of structural 
    engineering to new heights—and lengths

  22. Emirates Crop One - For planting the seeds of sustainable food production in the UAE and beyond

  23. Onhwa' Lumina - For bringing the history and culture of an Indigenous people to brilliant life

  24. EV Charging Network Pilot - For being a driving force in new electric vehicle infrastructure

  25. Bët-Bi - For incorporating the DNA of a community into a museum’s design

  26. One Million Corals for Colombia - For planting seeds of hope in the Caribbean reef with the help of local stakeholders

  27. OncoKB - For creating the first tumor mutation database

  28. Belgian Passport - For upping the security—and the fun factor—of travel documents

  29. Lego Carbon-Neutral Factory - For creating the building blocks of carbon-neutral manufacturing

  30. Current Tuna - For putting sushi-grade vegan seafood on the menu

  31. Store of the Future® - For reimagining retail with immersive digital experiences that entice even the most jaded shoppers to the mall

  32. Dragon Class Tidal Energy Array - For changing the way that island communities' approach sustainable energy

  33. Taihu Underwater Tunnel - For creating an underwater path to economic development

  34. Koo Multi Language Tool - For letting social media users connect and converse—in the moment, in their own language

  35. Simplicity Sprint - For turning a moment of organizational uncertainty into a crowdsourced examination of company culture

  36. Squid Game Set Design - For envisioning a technicolor trip into a battle royale of children’s games—and taking audiences around the world along for the ride

  37. Las Americas Social Housing - For countering urban sprawl with elevated affordable housing that fosters community connections

  38. Open-for-All Digital Ecosystem - For empowering even the smallest Indian companies with the fintech tools they need

  39. Bronzeville Community Microgrid - For powering up urban energy independence and resilience

  40. Nexgen - For envisioning the next generation of net-zero cities

  41. Project Cheetah - For reintroducing another big cat to India

  42. Afrail Express - For exploring ways to connect a continent with high-speed rail

  43. The New School at Sundby - For centering its coursework—and its building—around social impact that benefits its students and the community

  44. Climate Pledge Arena - For setting a new sustainability standard for the sports and events industry

  45. Gran Cursos Audio - For expanding educational access with a massive collection of audiobooks in Portuguese

  46. Chapel of Sound - For delivering an acoustical oasis—and economic boost—to a remote community

  47. Orca - For taking carbon-capture technology to a new level

  48. TMRW Digital Platform - For modernizing the IVF clinic with automated storage and tracking

  49. Ghibli Park - For building an immersive world of anime at one with nature

Visit the Region-Specific Top 10 Most Influential Projects Lists

Media contact

MaryKate Dougherty

External Communications Specialist

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About PMI

PMI is the leading authority in project management, dedicated to guiding the way to project success. Since 1969, PMI has shone a light on the power of project management and the people behind the projects. With a global community, gold-standard professional certifications, and career-long learning opportunities, PMI empowers current and aspiring project professionals, as well as organizations, with knowledge and resources to lead effectively and create an impact in the communities they serve. Join PMI in elevating our world – one project at a time. Connect with us at www.pmi.org, linkedin.com/company/projectmanagementinstitute, on Instagram @pmi_org, and on TikTok @PMInstitute.