Joint Research
Activities

The impact of our TA projects will be enhanced by building links with our Joint Research Activities (JRAs) and by targeted calls for TA proposals. The JRAs are crucial to create synergy and stimulate innovation of the GEOLAB RI beyond present state-of-the-art.

Joint Research Activities (JRA)

The JRA’s main objectives are:

1. Integrate and synergize the experimental research infrastructure in the disciplines of subsurface behaviour (soil mechanics and hydrogeology), engineering (geotechnical, structural, engineering geology and environmental) and data science (ICT, advanced data analyses and virtual access)
2. Improve physical modelling and measurements techniques beyond present state-of-the-art that allow for studying complex and interdisciplinary effects
3. Provide guidance on and integrate data management methods (standardization); establish an open access database of well documented experiments for efficient data exchange between installations and re-use of experiment data sets.

The JRAs consist of the following components:

• JRA1 Guidance will improve and harmonize the operation of our installations by conducting an inventory of the installations and development of GEOLAB user’s manual, among others.

• JRA2 Innovation will enhance the capabilities of GEOLAB by advancing physical modelling of the impact of climate change, aging and extreme events on CI; developing 3D-4D measurement laboratory and field techniques; and application of new materials and new sensing techniques.

• JRA3 Data management will offer virtual access to a database of performed experiments that is suitable for future re-use of data and easy comparison across installations.

Free Access to GEOLAB

Gain access to the GEOLAB research facilities

The GEOLAB Research Infrastructure is open for ground-breaking research and innovation by academic and industry users outside the consortium, the so-called transnational access. The access is funded from the EU project budget and includes technical & scientific support and training of the users.

In total 40 experiments are foreseen in the following rounds of calls for proposals:

Experiments that proof innovative solutions to enhance the resilience of the Critical Infrastructure (CI) in Europe (opening 9 June 2021, deadline 10 October 2021).
Experiments to study the pressures on CI, e.g., impact of climate change, aging, increased usage, extreme weather events and geo-hazards (opening expected in June 2022).
Experiments to validate advances in numerical modelling and data science leading to a better engineering design (opening expected in June 2023).

D08.01 Description Geolab Research
Infrastructure

D08.02 GEOLAB
Workshop Material

D08.03 GEOLAB
User manual

D08.04
Webinar Materials

D08.05 Outcomes of
Advanced Workshop J1

D08.06 Outcomes of
Advanced Workshop J2

D09.01 GEOLAB Experimental Challenges and Technology Readiness

D09.02 Physical modelling of the impact of climate change

D09.03 New Materials, New Sensing and New Manufacturing Methods

D09.04 Monitoring and Characterization of Geo-Structures

D10.01 Data Management
Plan

D10.02 Report on Joint Standards
and Software Protocols

First Call for Proposals

GEOLAB provides a comprehensive suite of 11 complementary installations equipping the users from academia and industry with renowned tools for excellent research for the energy, water, urban and transport infrastructure sector.

The installations were specifically selected to ensure a wide range of capabilities to address problems across experiment scales, disciplinary boundaries and Technology Readiness Levels (TRL).

The research infrastructure installations are used to study the following:

Ground stability related issues, e.g. consolidation, seepage, liquefaction, (coastal) erosion and slope stability.
Water-soil-structure interaction, e.g. for roads, railways, tunnels, bridges, dams, foundations, buildings and buried cables & pipelines.
Interaction of infrastructure systems with the environment, e.g. impact of climate change, extreme weather events, geo-hazards, static & dynamic loading and aging.

This First Call for Proposals is an invitation to all eligible organisations to submit a proposal for an experiment to be hosted in one of the above mentioned facilities. The theme of the present call is: ‘Experiments that prove innovative solutions to enhance the resilience of Critical Infrastructure (CI) in Europe’.

The deadline for proposals is October 10th, 2021, 23.59 CET. Proposals received after this time cannot be considered.
Proposals are reviewed by a group of independent experts (the User Selection Panel), of which the outcome is expected in December 2021.

The GEOLAB project provides User Groups access free of charge to the facilities for their research project and covers travel and subsistence costs (within prescribed limits) as well. State-of-the-art measuring instruments, data-acquisition and processing systems will be available, as well as modern support facilities, such as library, computers, and internet access. Furthermore, visiting researchers are offered a scientific and intellectual environment, with assistance and guidance from experts at the host institute.

Joint Research
Activities