Upcoming ACTIVE Cup dates
16-18 November 2026 (Virtual day 3 November)
Cranfield University
3-5 February 2027 (Virtual day 20 January)
Cranfield University
2-4 March 2027 (Virtual day 11 February)
Carnoustie Golf Hotel
What to expect from the ACTIVE Cup
Built around the European Construction Institute (ECI) ACTIVE Principles, the competition places teams into complex project scenarios based on real industry challenges such as hydrogen, carbon capture or nuclear infrastructure projects.
Participants work as integrated project teams, making decisions on scope, cost, schedule, risk and stakeholder management while responding to changing project conditions and commercial pressures.
The new modernised version of this popular competition, delivered by 20/20 Project Management Training, reflects modern processes and practices in project management, and features a realistic end-to-end ECI project simulation.
The competition includes a virtual preparation day and a small amount of preparatory work to complete in advance of the face-to-face simulation days at Cranfield School of Management (near Milton Keynes) and Carnoustie Golf Hotel (north of Dundee).
The face-to-face competition will take place over three consecutive weekdays rather than over a weekend.
Interested in submitting a team?
ECITB ACTIVE Cup – Expression of Interest
ACTIVE Cup learning aims and objectives
The ACTIVE Cup is part of the ECITB’s wider project management training programmes aimed at raising skill levels within the engineering construction industry.
The overall learning aims of the competition are to develop:
- An understanding of management processes in the continuous planning / execution / control cycle of a dynamic project.
- The implementation of the ACTIVE Principles in the execution of a dynamic project.
- An understanding of the relationship between cost, schedule and cash flow.
- An understanding of project risk management and the allocation of commercial risk through appropriate forms of contract.
- Commercial awareness and skills in negotiation with clients, suppliers and banks.
- Organisational skills working as a key member of a project team.
The ACTIVE Cup is a practical learning experience focused on developing behavioural project management skills, leadership under pressure, effective communication and collaborative decision-making.
Spreading the face-to-face days over three days and running the virtual preparation day will mean teams hit the ground running, get time to network and have time to enjoy this hugely popular competition.
Participants leave with greater insight into how team behaviours and project delivery practices influence outcomes in major engineering and construction projects – and maybe also the coveted ACTIVE Cup trophy.
Andrew Hockey
CEO, ECITB
About the ACTIVE model of project management
The ACTIVE model (Achieving Competitiveness Through Innovation and Value Enhancement) was developed in the early 1990s and has contributed to the successful delivery of major projects across the engineering construction industry.
It improves project performance by changing adversarial behaviours and applying value-enhancing practices through the following eight ACTIVE principles:
- Effective Project Concept and Definition
- Effective Project Team Management
- Effective Supply Chain Relationships
- Effective Information Management and Communication
- Effective Project Risk Management
- Effective Innovation and Continuous Improvement
- Effective Project Execution
- Effective Performance Measurement
The ECITB Project Collaboration Toolkit also uses the ACTIVE principles as its basis.
Full profile details
Elissa Campbell-Douglas
Aker Solutions
“It was an intense experience. We put so much work into it, the winning was just the icing on the cake.
“I’m not a process engineer, I’m a mechanical engineer, so a lot of things we covered isn’t in my base scope of work. There was a big learning curve about project management and how to take project management skills and apply them in real time.
“I work in procurement, so there are many transferrable skills I can apply, especially when it comes to change management and timekeeping in general when it comes to my expected deliverables. Taking calculated and appropriate risks when necessary is something I also take back.”
Mohamed Nabil
Bechtel
“The ACTIVE Cup was a brilliant experience and I would encourage everyone to participate. The competition illustrates the project life cycle and how every professional can impact the schedule and cost through their daily actions and decisions.”
Jennifer Kerr
Subsea7
“It’s intense!
“My manager asked if I would like to take part in the ECITB Active Cup and I jumped at the opportunity.
“Set in an immersive role-playing scenario, you experience various aspects of project management. It’s intense; the time pressures put you on the spot and take you out of your comfort zone. That is when the learning happens. Not just about what you know, but about who you are.
“Whilst every team starts out from the same place, it is clear from the off that there is no single solution, and each team takes a different path to deliver the scope of work. What I learned (perhaps the hard way) was the importance of listening and exploring the suggestions from within the team in order to make the best decisions.”
Jamie Duncan
Johnson Matthey
“It was a fun, insightful weekend and we developed a lot.
“We learned not just about project management but about quick thinking, communication and strategy. Decision making was probably the biggest learning and that we need to take a step back to reflect and make the right decision.
“We also learned that ‘the plan’ shouldn’t be concrete so that we have the ability to adapt.”
Interested in submitting a team?
Complete the ECITB ACTIVE Cup - Expression of Interest formACTIVE Cup - in the news
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