The Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE) is a research unit funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology ( Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia), incorporating

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The u ...

and

University of Minho The University of Minho (''Universidade do Minho'') is a public university in Portugal, divided into the following campuses: * Largo do Paço (rectorate), in Braga * Campus of Gualtar, in Braga * Convento dos Congregados, in Braga * Campus of Az ...

as hosting institutions in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. The Unit is organised in three research groups, addressing the topics of construction technologies in historical materials and

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

, steel and mixed materials, and

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

. In summary, ISISE aims at promoting innovation and sustainability, with a close link to the construction sector industry. The most relevant focus areas include: * Characterisation of building materials * Constitutive and structural modelling * Characterisation of structural behaviour * Inspection, assessment and monitoring of existing structures * Safety evaluation of structures * Development of an integrated life-time structural approach and tools for monitoring of existing structures * Design of sustainable structures The Institute is involved in several Advanced Educational Programs, including two Erasmus Mundus International Masters, funded by the European Commission, four PhD programs, as well as 5 advanced MSc programs.

Evaluation by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology

In the latest (2014) Evaluation of R&D Units by FCT, ISISE was rated as Excellent.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Research institutes in Portugal Multidisciplinary research institutes University of Coimbra University of Minho