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To meet the net zero 2050 target in construction, a net-zero carbon public procurement policy is needed. This paper adopts a systematic review approach to explore the drivers and barriers to adopting net-zero carbon procurement. The top three drivers include developing sustainable public procurement policies, increasing investment in low-carbon procurements, and high demand for green construction projects. The top three barriers include inadequate budget for net-zero procurement implementation, weak capacity in public and private institutions to implement net-zero policies, and low stakeholder involvement. The paper's findings provide insights for stakeholders to effectively adopt net-zero carbon procurement for construction projects.

Economic recession from the coronavirus outbreak continues to have negative rippling effects on local and international financial investments in public–private partnership (PPP) projects in Ghana, a developing country. Together with poor reports on operating cash-inflows for PPP projects such as those covering schools, hospitals, railways, fishing harbors, cocoa warehouses, recreational parks and affordable housing, there is an urgent need to develop and institutionalise sustainable and robust financial risk management measures. These measures are meant to mitigate financial losses, promote sustainability practices and prolong the longevity of infrastructure developments within PPP pacts. Therefore, this study aims to assess the mitigation measures of PPP infrastructure management in Ghana. Primary data from survey questionnaires were utilised in this study, with the data obtained from PPP practitioners and experts. Data were grouped into project type, sectors and practitioners of PPP projects to aid the analysis using tools such as the Kruskal–Wallis test, the Mann–Whitney U test and factor analysis. The results demonstrate sustainable and green finance, the innovative skills and competencies of project teams, green financial risk models and inclusive cost reduction strategies as crucial to minimising financial risks in PPP project delivery. These findings have significant implications for PPP practitioners and researchers in Ghana and similar developing countries to understand and develop measures to respond to financial risks for sustainable PPP project development and future research studies.

The need for governments and stakeholders to find urgent solutions to address the destructive effects of disasters in urban areas has led to the call for cross-sector collaborations such as public-private partnerships to assist with the development of urban community resilience in this modern era. This paper comprehensively reviews studies on the critical strategies in using public-private partnerships as a collaboration mechanism in building urban community resilience. Through a two-stage systematic literature review process, 83 publications related to PPPs and urban community resilience were retrieved for thorough content analysis. Based on an analysis of the literature, 35 critical resilience strategies for using PPPs in building urban community resilience were derived. These strategies were further categorized into nine major groupings. These groups include vulnerability and risks assessment, information gathering, database, legal, monitoring and evaluation, resilience capacity, communication and coordination, financial incentives, and business continuity. Furthermore, a theoretical framework was developed. These resilience strategies can be adopted by states and communities that intend to use the PPP concept to build the resilience of their urban communities. It also opens the international debate on the suitability of the PPP model for community resilience building.

Public–private partnership (PPP) is a prominent tool for sustainable infrastructure development. However, the positive contributions of PPPs toward the attainment of sustainable, climate resilience and zero-carbon infrastructure projects are hampered by poor financial risk management. This problem is more prevalent in developing countries like Ghana where private investment inflow has plummeted due to the COVID-19 recession and poor project performance. Thus, this study aims to assess the key financial risk management strategies in ensuring sustainable PPP infrastructure projects in Ghana. The study utilised primary data from PPP practitioners in Ghana solicited through survey questionnaires. Factor analysis, mean scores and fuzzy synthetic analysis are the data analysis techniques for this study. The results revealed that sustainable and green funding models, effective cost-reduction initiatives, a competent team with committed leadership and emerging technologies and regulations constitute the key strategies for managing the financial risks of sustainable PPP infrastructure projects. Although future studies must expand the scope of data gathering, the findings of the study enrich the theoretical understanding of financial risks in sustainable investments in PPP infrastructures. Relevant remedies that will aid the development of practical financial risk management guidelines are also provided in this study for PPP practitioners.

Industry 4.0 technologies have business process re-engineering capabilities that can radically improve process performance and increase the effectiveness of communication and collaboration between actors. Despite the significant emphasis on technology adoption, the slow uptake rate can be attributed to ignoring nontechnical aspects, such as systemic change concerning people and processes. There are ample Industry 4.0 maturity models in the literature; however, a common criticism of maturity models lies in their applicability. This paper attempts to address this criticism by presenting two case studies where maturity assessments for general contractors were conducted to understand how ready they were to adopt to Industry 4.0 and what they could do to improve their current readiness. This paper aims to answer the following research questions: (1) Can the Industry 4.0 maturity modelling literature be applied in an organisational context for a construction general contractor? (2) Do construction general contractors relate to such an assessment? To answer the research questions, a comprehensive assessment of the Industry 4.0 maturity of two general contractors was conducted, thereby intending to support their strategic planning and systematise their transformation in Industry 4.0. The richness of the findings lies in the detailed understanding of the organisation’s current Industry 4.0 capabilities and future plans, thereby establishing the applicability of the maturity attributes identified from the literature and confirming whether the managers of a construction organisation can relate to them.

Abstract Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) G glycoprotein has recently reemerged as a vaccine antigen due to its ability to elicit potent neutralizing antibodies and ameliorate disease in animal models. Here we designed three constructs to display the G central conserved domain (Gcc) focused on inducing broad and potent neutralizing antibodies. One construct displaying Gcc from both RSV subgroups trimerized via a C-terminal foldon (Gcc-Foldon) was highly immunogenic in mice and in MIMIC, a pre-immune human in vitro model. To explore an optimal RSV vaccine, we combined the Gcc-Foldon antigen with a stabilized pre-fusion-F nanoparticle (pre-F-NP) as a bivalent vaccine and detected no antigenic interference between the two antigens in the MIMIC model. In RSV-primed macaques, the bivalent vaccine elicited potent humoral responses. Furthermore, both Gcc-Foldon and the bivalent vaccine conferred effective protection against RSV challenge in mice. This two-component vaccine could potentially provide effective protection against RSV infection in humans and warrants further clinical evaluation.

Digital twin (DT) has gained significant recognition among researchers due to its potential across industries. With the prime goal of solving numerous challenges confronting the construction industry (CI), DT in recent years has witnessed several applications in the CI. Hence, researchers have been advocating for DT adoption to tackle the challenges of the CI. Notwithstanding, a distinguishable set of barriers that oppose the adoption of DT in the CI has not been determined. Therefore, this paper identifies the barriers and incorporates them into a classified framework to enhance the roadmap for adopting DT in the CI. This research conducts an extensive review of the literature and analyses the barriers whilst integrating the science mapping technique. Using Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases, 154 related bibliographic records were identified and analysed using science mapping, while 40 carefully selected relevant publications were systematically reviewed. From the review, the top five barriers identified include low level of knowledge, low level of technology acceptance, lack of clear DT value propositions, project complexities, and static nature of building data. The results show that the UK, China, the USA, and Germany are the countries spearheading the DT adoption in the CI, while only a small number of institutions from Australia, the UK, Algeria, and Greece have established institutional collaborations for DT research. A conceptual framework was developed on the basis of 30 identified barriers to support the DT adoption roadmap. The main categories of the framework comprise stakeholder-oriented, industry-related, construction-enterprise-related, and technology-related barriers. The identified barriers and the framework will guide and broaden the knowledge of DT, which is critical for successful adoption in the construction industry.

Offsite construction has become popular in recent times due to the numerous benefits it offers compared to traditional construction methods. This paper explores the different offsite construction methods, the motivations for adopting these approaches, and the cost-effectiveness of these methods in the UK housing sector using multiple case studies. Firstly, the literature and data were obtained from various sources including professional body reports, industry reports, government websites, and journal articles. Following the review, twelve completed housing projects from the UK which used offsite construction approaches were analyzed. The review of these projects showed that different offsite methods were used in these projects. These include Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), Timber Frames, Precast Concrete, Steel Frames, Volumetric Construction, Gyproc Habito Plasterboards, and Light Gauge Steel (LGS) technology. The key motivations for adopting offsite construction in these projects include the speed of construction, durability of the products, aesthetic considerations, thermal quality, low air leakage requirements, and quality of construction. Of the 12 cases, only two recorded a higher cost for the offsite construction method compared with the alternative using traditional approaches. The outputs of this paper provide evidence-based strategies which would inform practitioners on the best practices for adopting offsite construction methods and what to expect.

This study explores how the scholarly accomplishments of students might increment due to specific fundamental causes. The academic performance of the student was prioritized as a dependent variable, and the independent indicators chosen were “information seeking, IT ability, reading/writing capacity, and resilience.” At the same time, age, gender, marital status, and family income were included in the control variables. The research subject samples were limited to (N = 288) postgraduate students from three mega universities in Islamabad, Pakistan. Forward regression analysis was performed in this research to decide the impact of the indicators. The results indicate that information seeking affects academic performance positively and significantly. Essentially, the study revealed that information technology (IT) skills make a fundamentally positive and significant impact on academic performance. Reading and writing influenced academic performance considerably. In addition, resilience affected academic performance emphatically and essentially. Further, this research also noted the relationships between information-seeking behaviors, IT ability, reading/writing capacities, and resilience capabilities and the academic performance of students. These variables have a positive impact on the academic performance of students.

Risk management is one of the topical areas in construction project management research. However, no attempt has been made in the past decades to explore the emerging themes in this area. This paper reviews the research trends in risk management in construction. The bibliometric data of 1635 publications between 1979 and 2022 were extracted from Scopus using a set of keywords. The study used VOSviewer and Gephi to conduct a scientometric analysis on the extracted publications. The review outcome indicates a significant increase in publications on risk management in construction, with about 205 publications recorded between 2021 and 2022 alone. Based on this analysis, it is projected that the next decade will see significant research on risk management, especially as the construction industry moves towards Industry 5.0 with many uncertainties. Further, the most productive countries of risk management studies in construction include China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong. Emerging key research areas are discussed using network diagrams and clusters. These areas include the processes in risk management, risk analytical models and techniques, sources of risk and uncertainties, effective knowledge-based systems for improved risk management, risk contingency in construction contracts, risk-integrated project planning and scheduling, and stakeholder management. The findings of this study inform researchers on the current progress of risk management studies in construction and highlight possible research directions that can be considered.

Digital twin (DT) is gaining increasing attention due to its ability to present digital replicas of existing assets, processes and systems. DT can integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to create real-time simulation models. These models learn and update from multiple data sources to predict their physical counterparts’ current and future conditions. This has promoted its relevance in various industries, including the construction industry (CI). However, recognising the existence of a distinct set of factors driving its adoption has not been established. Therefore, this study aims to identify the drivers and integrate them into a classification framework to enhance its understanding. Utilising popular databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, a systematic literature review of 58 relevant DT adoptions in the CI research was conducted. From the review, the drivers for DT adoption in the CI were identified and classified. The results show that developed countries such as the UK, US, Australia, and Italy have been the top countries in advancing DT adoption in the CI, while developing countries have made commendable contributions. A conceptual framework has been developed to enhance the successful adoption of DT in the CI based on 50 identified drivers. The major categories of the framework include concept-oriented drivers, production-driven drivers, operational success drivers, and preservation-driven drivers. The developed framework serves as a guide to propel DT adoption in the CI. Furthermore, this study contributes to the body of knowledge about DT adoption drivers, which is essential for DT promotion in the CI.

Over the last couple of decades, governments in developing and developed economies/countries have shown interest in the public-private partnership (PPP) policy. Different governments have different reasons for adopting the PPP concept. This paper aims to investigate the differences and similarities on the reasons for implementing PPP in develop-ing and developed economies/countries, represented by Ghana and Hong Kong. An empirical questionnaire survey was conducted with relevant experienced practitioners in both jurisdictions. One hundred and three completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. The results from the non-parametric test show five reasons with significant differences. Reasons related to the economic and social benefits of PPP are ranked higher in Ghana, whereas efficiency and quality service related reasons are ranked higher in Hong Kong. Further, two reasons for adopting PPP emerged as very important in both jurisdictions; these include: “promotes quick delivery of public infrastructure projects” and “allows for shared risks”. The outputs of this study contribute to the international best practice framework for PPP. International private investors would be informed of the expectations of governments when engaging in PPP arrangement particularly in Asia and Africa.

Given the complexity and wide stakeholder interests in public-private partnership (PPP) projects, different parties have different expectations and definitions of PPP project success. This paper explores the perceptual differences on the success criteria for PPP projects among PPP stakeholders. A questionnaire survey was conducted with targeted international PPP experts from the academic, public and private sectors. The research findings show that each stakeholder group considers effective risk management as the most critical success criterion. Moreover, the public and private sectors consider meeting output specifications as the second most critical criteria, whereas the academic sector considers satisfying the need for public facility/service. Further analysis using non parametric tests shows significant differences on the ranking of the criterion, “satisfying the need for public facility/service” between the public and private sectors and between academic and private sectors. These research outputs provide significant insights into how PPP projects’ success is evaluated by various PPP stakeholders.

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects success is the ultimate goal of practitioners and government organizations. In this regard, the last decade has seen considerable research into the critical success factors (CSFs) for PPP projects. However, a very important subject which has received very little attention in the normative literature is the success criteria for PPP projects. This paper examines the general perception of purposively sampled international PPP experts on a set of 15 PPP projects success criteria derived from literature. The survey results show that all the success criteria are critical; however seven are very critical. These include: effective risk management; meeting output specifications; reliable and quality service operations; adherence to time; satisfying the need for public facility/service; long-term relationship and partnership; and profitability. The findings of this study are impactful because they inform practitioners on the key measures to consider when evaluating the success of PPP projects. More research should be conducted to further develop a composite success index that could be used to objectively assess the success levels of different PPP projects. In addition, the perceptions of different stakeholders on PPP projects success criteria and the causal relationship between CSFs and success criteria for PPP projects should be investigated.