The ERIES (Engineering Research Infrastructures for European Synergies) project aims to address the significant challenges posed by natural hazards worldwide, including earthquakes, strong winds, and geotechnical instabilities. These hazards have immense impacts on the built environment, the economy, and society as a whole. The project recognises the need for innovative research and technological developments to improve the resilience of structures and infrastructures against these hazards, as well as to mitigate the direct and indirect losses and disruptions they cause.
The project is driven by the profound effects of past seismic events, like the L’Aquila earthquake in 2009, the 2016-2017 Central Italy earthquake, the 2020 Samos Island earthquake in the Aegean Sea, and the 2019 earthquake in Albania. It also acknowledges the escalating impact of climate-related hazards on structures and infrastructure. Severe storms and extreme winds, exemplified by the 1987 great storm in France and the UK, as well as the Lothar and Martin storms in 1999, have caused extensive damage and disruption in Europe, leading to significant loss of life, homelessness, and massive financial losses. These events underscore the urgent need for future research and innovation to mitigate the impacts of natural hazards.
In this context, the ERIES project addresses the call INFRA-2021-SERV-01-07 by pursuing several specific objectives:
- Transnational Access (TA): ERIES aims to provide European researchers with access to the best experimental testing facilities for earthquakes, wind, and geotechnical engineering. This aligns with the call's objective of advancing frontier knowledge by facilitating access to cutting-edge research infrastructures worldwide.
- Integration and Expansion: The project builds upon the successful results and implementation of past European projects, such as NERA, SERIES, LIQUEFACT, SAFELAND, and SERA, while expanding these capabilities to address wind and geotechnical issues in a more multi-risk and holistic manner.
- Authoritative Guidance: ERIES aims to provide authoritative guidance to various stakeholders, including governmental and civil protection authorities, construction and consulting companies, and code committees responsible for developing and updating technical standards.
- Innovative Techniques and Standards: The project aims to develop innovative techniques and standards for experimental testing in earthquake engineering, wind engineering, geotechnical engineering, and structural engineering in general. Through advanced laboratory synergies and capabilities not generally available worldwide, ERIES will push the boundaries of current knowledge and methodologies in these fields.
- Promoting Greener and Sustainable Solutions: ERIES aims to promote the development and experimental testing of greener and more sustainable solutions for addressing seismic, wind, and geotechnical hazards. This objective aligns with the call's focus on fostering a greener society and addressing climate-based risks and impacts.
