Frederick Research Centre is organizing a scientific Conference on natural disasters and safety of civil infrastructure, on Thursday, February 8, at Frederick University's Nicosia campus. 

The Conference will be held in the framework of the ISTOS project and will address the project’s main objective to look into the structural safety and resilience of buildings and infrastructure when facing natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, and forest fires.

Presentations will focus on Natural Disasters and Civil Infrastructure Safety, including the effects of climate change on natural disasters. Insights and best practices from countries such as Cyprus, Italy, and Greece will be shared. Additionally, the Conference will shed light on the joint effort to set up a Research Center of Excellence in Cyprus, focusing on disaster risk reduction and management of natural hazards.

The ISTOS project is an initiative by four European Universities; Frederick Research Center (FRC) and the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) in Cyprus, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and its Research Unit of Soil Dynamics and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering – SDGEE in Greece and the University of Naples Federico II (UNINA) via its PLINIVS Study Centre PLINIVS-LUPT, in Italy. It was initiated in November 2020, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program (H2020-WIDESPREAD-2018-2020).

The Conference Agenda

08:30-09:00 Registration

09:00-09:15 Welcome

09:15-09:45 Project ISTOS Overview and main outcomes
Petros Christou, Project Coordinator, Frederick Research Center (FRC)

09:45-10:25 Latest advances in seismic hazard and risk assessment for urban environment and critical infrastructures
Kyriazis Pitilakis & Evi Riga, Soil Dynamics Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Research Unit, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

10:25-11:05 Crisis at Campi Flegrei Caldera: Risk assessment activities in the emergency planning and management
Giulio Zuccaro, Scientific Responsible of the PLINIVS Study Centre, University of Naples Federico II

11:05-11:45 The role of the Centres of Competence in the Italian Civil Protection System
Mauro Dolce, President of Centre of Competence ReLuis

11:45-12:15 Coffee Break

12:15-12:55 Procedures and methodologies for the management of natural disasters in Cyprus
Kyriacos Kouros, Director of the Technical Services, Ministry of Interior, Republic of Cyprus

12:55-13:35 Natural Disaster Management in a time of evolving climate crisis
Efthymios Lekkas, Professor of Dynamic, Tectonic and Applied Geology & of Natural Disaster Management, University of Athens

13:35-14:15 Climate Resilience: Integrating mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development pathways
Mattia Federico Leone, PLINIVS Study Centre, University of Naples Federico II

14:15-14:30 Closing Remarks

14:30 Light lunch

Find the Conference invitation here. 

To register (by 2 Feb.), please click here. 

For more information: tel.: 22394464 (Ms. Natasa Manthou)