Project description
Smarter fire safety design for modern buildings
Building fires expose serious gaps in fire safety assessment methods, particularly for modern buildings using new materials and complex structural systems. While current design methods depend on prescriptive criteria and conventional fire experiments, these methodologies fall short of reproducing fire dynamics in the actual world. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the HiFire project will develop an AI-powered hybrid simulation framework to improve how the fire resilience of modern buildings is assessed and designed. The integration of selective physical fire experiments along with a system-based digital twin, complemented by modular AI tools, will facilitate quicker, more accurate and scalable fire dynamics analysis of components and entire buildings in Europe.
Objective
Recent major building fire accidents in Europe highlight the urgent need for reliable methods to assess the fire resilience of modern buildings, especially as innovative materials and structural systems are increasingly adopted. EU-funded initiatives, notably COST Action TU0904 , have already highlighted the limitations of prescriptive codes derived from standard fire tests, stressing the urgent need for performance-based approaches in modern building fire safety design.
This fellowship addresses these shortcomings by developing HiFire, an innovative AI-empowered hybrid simulation framework for fire-resilient design of modern buildings. The project pursues three main objectives: (1) to establish a distributed hybrid simulation platform that couples physical fire tests on critical components with a system-level synchronised virtual model; (2) to develop modular AI models that enhance simulation efficiency by integrating them into the virtual model; and (3) to deliver a user-friendly digital platform to support end users in fire safety design of modern complex buildings and demonstrate it via a modern building in UK. By combining localised physical tests with a global virtual model, and embedding modular AI for efficient scale bridging, the framework will enable realistic, scalable, and time-efficient fire analysis from component to system level.
The fellowship is carefully designed to align the applicant’s expertise with the internationally recognised strengths of University College London in fire safety engineering, structural modelling, and artificial intelligence. It will foster two-way knowledge transfer, equip the researcher with advanced skills in hybrid simulation and AI, and consolidate their independence as an emerging leader in structural fire engineering. Successful completion will enhance European scientific excellence, accelerate safe adoption of sustainable construction practices, and position Europe at the forefront of intelligent fire safety design.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence
- engineering and technology civil engineering architecture engineering sustainable architecture sustainable building
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
WC1E 6BT London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.