On November 14-16, 2022, a meeting of the ELGIP working group was held in Zurich, combined with the initiating meeting of the international GEOLAB project. 

The Polish Geological Institute-NRI was represented by Deputy Director for Development, Scientific Secretary Dr. Piotr Szrek, and specialists in engineering geology and low-temperature geothermal engineering - Grzegorz Ryżyński, M.Sc. Eng. and Marta Szlasa, M.Sc.

ELGIP (European Large Geotechnical Institutes Platform) is an association of geotechnical-engineers and engineering geologists founded in 2002. The association currently has 6 working groups focused on research and development for issues such as shallow geothermal, transportation infrastructure, organic soils, erosion, sustainable development and adaptation to changing climate conditions. Engineering geologists from PGI-NRI, together with specialists from the Institute of Construction Technology, have been active in the association since 2007 as the Warsaw Geotechnical Laboratory Group.

A view of the ETH campus in Zurich. (Photo by Marta Szlasa)

The meeting in Zurich, held at the ETH (Federal University of Technology) building, was devoted to geotechnical and geological aspects of offshore development (broadly defined as Offshore). Presented at the ELGIP Offshore Geotechnics Workshop, the experience of multiple geological surveys, institutes and scientific research companies from European countries will be used as valuable input during the collection of materials for the book/manual on offshore development (PSG task) under the working title: principles of documenting geological-engineering foundation conditions of offshore construction and coastal protection facilities. Part two: offshore wind farms with a set of power derivation facilities, and during the topics conducted at the BGI site related to the reconnaissance of the Baltic seabed in the area of projected wind farms.

ETH seminar room, Presentation is given by Prof. Dr. Ioannis Anastasopoulos, head of the ETH research laboratory. (Photo: Marta Szlasa)

As part of the ELGIP Offshore Geotechnics Workshop meeting, participants were given a tour of ETH Zurich's state-of-the-art laboratory, which conducts, among other things, geotechnical and geological-engineering studies of wind farm foundation design conditions and advanced empirical studies in soil mechanics (development of novel constitutive models) using a geo-centrifuge.

Workshop participants during a tour of the research laboratory. Pictured is a geo-centrifuge. (photo by Marta Szlasa)

The second day of meetings was related to presentations on the effects of the Horizon Europe Geolab project; the presentations dealt with countering critical infrastructure geohazards and innovative geotechnical solutions in terms of techniques and modeling (e.g., on the aforementioned centrifuge). A commitment was made to host the ELGIP Board Meeting and the ELGIP International Workshop at the planned WPGI Symposium in 2024 as a separate session within the conference with international participants.

A declaration of intent to host the ELGIP Board Meeting was made by Director Piotr Szrek to the current ELGIP President Prof. Marco Barl and ELGIP Secretary Peter van den Berg. This will facilitate ELGIP's fundraising for scientific activities and allow it to more effectively solicit participation in prestigious international scientific research consortia Horizon Europe or related or COST international research networks. The meeting should be considered very successful, valuable experience was gained and contacts weakened by the COVID 19 pandemic period were renewed, which in the future may be helpful, among other things, during the implementation of the Institute's activities in marine areas. Active participation in ELGIP working groups will allow us to more effectively solicit participation in prestigious international scientific and research consortia Horizon Europe or related, as well as in COST international research networks.

PGI-NRI delegates Marta Szlasa and Grzegorz Ryżyński in front of the ETH building in Zurich (photo: Piotr Szrek)

The presence of PGI-NRI delegates, especially Director Piotr Szrek, made it possible to clearly mark the presence of the Polish Geological Institute-NRI on the international arena, as a modern unit engaged in engineering geology work.

For more information about ELGIP, visit: https://elgip.org

You can learn about the GEOLAB project at project-geolab.eu/

Zdjęcia Marta Szlasa, Piotr Szrek
Photos Marta Szlasa, Piotr Szrek
Translated by: Tomasz Trzpil