The research project is devoted to improving the concept and architecture selection design decision making in innovative complex engineering systems. Such systems represent technological innovations for the development of new complex systems. Their design requires the application of a multidisciplinary approach: integrating systems engineering, systems analysis, key elements of the design of complex systems, and elements of the innovation theory. The project is devoted to producing several scientific contributions. Firstly, it presents an ontological model of systems emergent properties based on the systems thinking approach. It represents a schematic model that divides all systems emergent properties on strategy- and engineering-level properties and provides their link to systems values. Secondly, it develops a new decision-making approach to design decision making in innovative complex engineering systems. This approach represents an extension of the well-known Value-Based Decision-Making approach, which is extensively applied in current systems development. It reaches systems values through systems emergent properties via the developed ontology. As the basis for his work, the researcher uses research results kindly provided by his colleagues from the Systems Thinking Group: C. Fortin, Y. Brovar, and Y. Menshenin. Finally, two decision-making models, which use the developed ontology and the proposed decision-making approach, are developed and tested in four case studies from the oil and gas industry. The practical value of the project consists of providing a framework that allows keeping a good level of understanding by all decision-makers, including non-technical specialists.

The project was realised as a PhD thesis and continues to be developed by Mikhail Nikolaev and Prof. Clément Fortin.