Our proposed research initiative seeks to propel machine learning into the forefront of geotechnical engineering, with a vision to address critical challenges and revolutionise the field for the betterment of society. The overarching goals of our project align with the need to confront uncertainty, combat climate change through zero carbon emission strategies, address soil parameter heterogeneity, expedite finite element (FE) calculations e.g., for reliability analyses, and enhance design efficiency to reduce material consumption, particularly in the context of concrete. By undertaking this multidimensional approach, our research aims not only to apply machine learning in geotechnical engineering but to fundamentally transform the field, ushering in a new era of efficiency, sustainability and resilience. Through collaboration and innovation, we aspire to make machine learning an integral and indispensable tool for addressing the complex challenges faced by geotechnical practitioners in the 21st century.

ERIES responds to the call INFRA-2021-SERV-01-07: Research infrastructure services advancing frontier knowledge with the overall objective of providing transnational access to advanced research infrastructures in the fields of structural, seismic, wind and geotechnical engineering. This project, together with the research infrastructure team assembled, provides access to leading experimental facilities that permit users to advance frontier knowledge and conduct curiosity-driven research towards: the reduction of losses and disruption due to these hazards; the management of their associated risk; and the development of innovative solutions to address them that will contribute to a greener and more sustainable society. To this end, ERIES will offer transnational access to the best European experimental facilities in each field, with new and unique infrastructures available for the first time in this programme, along with the provision of a key laboratory in North America. It also foresees a key contribution from the European Commission?s Joint Research Centre, as anticipated by the call. It integrates the successful results and implementation of the past infrastructure projects, such as SERIES and SERA, and expands access capabilities to new communities and disciplines which were not yet focused on in past projects. Its anticipated outcome is to provide authoritative input for diverse stakeholders, from Civil Protection agencies to the European seismic building code; develop future standards for experimental techniques in earthquake, wind and geotechnical engineering; and provide a platform from which European researchers can develop innovative solutions and testbed applications of next-generation technologies. With 12 beneficiaries from 8 countries, ERIES builds an important element toward the reduction of losses, management of risk, and overall a greener and more sustainable engineering future in Europe.

NATURELAB will contribute to increased recognition, promotion and use of green and blue spaces as health care providers, by investigating the benefits of nature-based therapies (NBT) to promote well-being and support health prevention & rehabilitation. Around 4000 participants from 15 Experimental Sites and 4 Demonstrator Fellows located in rural, coastal, and urban areas of five European and Latin American countries (PT, EL, NL, DE, and PE) will experience the NATURELAB NBT programmes. The participants will ensure a representative sample of gender, age and socioeconomic status. The geographic locations comprise a variety of climate, nature (green and blue), ecosystems, biodiversity, cultural, policy and administrative scenarios. The health issues that will be addressed include physical (hypertension) and mental conditions (depression), among others. NATURELAB proposes an innovative approach to contribute to resilient communities, by enhancing the green and blue areas' benefits - as the resilience to climate change, the promotion of biodiversity and urban water management, and addressing as well air pollution and noise levels. The project will deliver, among others: i) NBT programmes tailored to population with different needs; ii) Portfolio of indicators to classify the health potential of nature & Guidelines to analyse the health benefits of green areas as required by natural capital accounting; iv) Guidelines for the creation and management of private and public healing gardens, horticulture/gardening spaces merging climate resilience and environment sustainability; iv) Programme Guide for funding scheme to support NBT in the health sector and v) Guidelines to promote the integration of NB care in the public health sector. Around 600 health professionals worldwide will receive the NATURELAB NBT programmes, and 8000-10000 innovative educational and training materials will be delivered. New jobs - therapists; horticulture & gardening industries -will be exploited.

MARCLAIMED will be a breakthrough addressing in an efficient, sustainable, and trustworthy way the water scarcity and water stress mitigation. MARCLAIMED will support decision makers to integrate Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) with Alternative Water Resources (AWR) in River Basin and Drought Management Plans supporting the adaptation and resilience of structural supply systems in the context of climate change. The main outcome will be the MARCLAIMED Integrated Decision Support Tool (IDST) that will provide solutions to tackle existing and emerging threats and support decision making and adaptation policies. MARCLAIMED IDST will ensure I) high level operational performance through 3 AI-based tools to: i) monitor and control AWR quality, ii) forecast the water resources availability and iii) provide health, environmental and performance risk indicators; II) economic sustainability under uncertainty providing: i) a municipal scale water scarcity indicator, ii) water security economic value of MAR with AWR and iii) a cost recovery-based system; and III) social acceptance, strengthen the engagement of national and EU policy makers in collaboration with a Community of Practice and the definition of EU MAR-lines, as rules and guidelines, to promote policy recommendations and boost regulatory framework. MARCLAIMED results will be implemented and validated in 3 demo sites in southern (PT, ES) and western Europe (NL) chosen by their wide range of settings in terms of climatic conditions, alternative water sources, MAR scheme or MAR potential, as well as political and socio-cultural context. In addition, to cover a wide spectrum of economic sectors and activities, an industrial feasibility study (in the mining sector) will be carried out in central (PL) and eastern Europe RIS countries.

The Connected and Adaptive Maintenance for Safer Urban and Secondary Roads project (‘CAMBER’) aims to develop and demonstrate improved safety monitoring across urban and secondary rural road networks through real-time data feedback into road maintenance systems and proven low-cost interventions. Performance metrics based on new-generation data sources will provide road managers up-to-date information on safety issues, damage, and routine maintenance and upgrade needs. Data collated from a range of sources, such as telematics, vehicle and smartphone sensors, and road user feedback, will feed into safety assessment models to flag what measures are required to ensure a safe road environment for all road users, including road-user minority groups with varying design needs, such as powered two-wheelers (PTW). CAMBER will support this through much-need research and testing of low-cost road safety interventions and low-impact maintenance techniques, including those for vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). The approaches will be demonstrated on urban and road networks in five European countries. CAMBER’s economically-sound solutions and new knowledge will be communicated through established networks to European road managers, policymakers and industry to support the decision-making and investment needed for more efficient maintenance for safer urban and secondary roads.