Many professionals considering a PhD, DBA, or Master’s do not struggle to find interesting problems. They struggle to transform those problems into focused, academically rigorous, and practically meaningful research topics.

This two-day workshop will help participants move from broad interests, organizational challenges, practitioner observations, or emerging ideas toward a structured research direction that can support a PhD, DBA, Master’s dissertation, or major research project.

Using Framework-Based Research Architecture (FBRA™), multi-domain analysis, and expert facilitation, participants develop a clear pathway from problem identification to a defensible research direction.

Why Attend?

Many prospective doctoral candidates ask:

  • How do I identify a meaningful research topic?
  • Is my topic too broad or too narrow?
  • What contribution can I realistically make?
  • How do I connect theory and practice?
  • Where should I begin?

🎯 This workshop provides a structured approach to answering these questions.

What You Will Learn

Participants will learn how to:

  • Identify and articulate meaningful research problems
  • Explore real organizational tensions and challenges
  • Refine research topics and research questions
  • Define key constructs and relationships
  • Assess feasibility, contribution, and relevance
  • Position research within broader knowledge structures
  • Use AI responsibly to accelerate topic development

What Will You Leave With?

📦 Research Topic Architecture Pack

Including:

✅ Working research title
✅ Refined problem statement
✅ Preliminary research questions
✅ Domain and context analysis
✅ Key constructs and relationships
✅ Potential theoretical lenses
✅ Feasibility assessment
✅ Contribution assessment
✅ Preliminary research direction
✅ Optional FBRA™ positioning

Participants leave with significantly greater clarity regarding whether their idea is suitable for doctoral-level research and how to progress toward proposal development.

The FBRA™ Difference

🧩 Traditional research often starts with a topic. FBRA™ starts with a framework.

Framework-Based Research Architecture (FBRA™) helps participants understand how their research can contribute to broader knowledge development while remaining academically independent.

Rather than conducting isolated studies, participants learn how their research can connect to larger research ecosystems and real-world challenges.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is suitable for:

  • Professionals considering a PhD or DBA
  • Current doctoral candidates seeking topic refinement
  • Master’s students considering doctoral progression
  • Consultants and advisors
  • PMO leaders
  • Project, programme, and portfolio managers
  • Strategy and transformation leaders
  • Public sector professionals
  • Researchers seeking stronger practical relevance

No final topic is required before attending.

Workshop Themes

Participants may explore opportunities relating to:

  • Strategy
  • PMO Management
  • Project Management
  • Leadership
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Decision Intelligence
  • Benefits Management
  • Sustainability
  • Digital Transformation
  • Public Value
  • Innovation Management

Workshop Format

Day 1 – Understanding the Problem

  • Research architecture fundamentals
  • Identifying meaningful problems
  • Exploring organizational tensions
  • Multi-domain analysis
  • Topic refinement exercises

Day 2 – Designing the Research Direction

  • Construct and relationship development
  • Contribution assessment
  • Feasibility analysis
  • Framework positioning
  • Research Topic Architecture Pack development

Workshop Details

📅 Date: 7–8 September 2026

📍 Location: Vienna, Austria

⏱️ Duration: Two Days

👥 Places: Limited to maintain interaction quality and individual feedback

MORE DETAILS

REGISTER HERE

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