The Greek Tunnelling Society (GTS) and the Iranian Tunnelling Association (IRTA), with the support of SYSTRA Italy, are pleased to launch the GTS–IRTA Technical Forum, a new international initiative establishing a long-term framework for technical dialogue and knowledge exchange between the two tunnelling communities.

The Forum is coordinated by Ms. Hanan Samadi, President of the IRTA Young Members (IRTAym), and Ms. Doris Skenteras, Vice Chair of the GTS Young Members Group, who will lead the upcoming activities, technical exchanges, and initiatives dedicated to young professionals. Rather than being limited to a single event, this collaboration is envisioned as an ongoing series of activities aimed at promoting knowledge sharing, fostering innovation, advancing digitalization and automation, and strengthening international connections among the next generation of tunnelling professionals.

The first event of the Forum will take place online on 9 July 2026 under the title “Next-Gen Risk Management in Tunnelling.” The webinar will feature Prof. Andreas Benardos, President of the Greek Tunnelling Society (GTS); Dr. Mohammad Khosrotash, President of the Iranian Tunnelling Association (IRTA); Prof. Jamal Rostami, Director of the Earth Mechanics Institute (EMI) at the Colorado School of Mines; as well as Ms. Doris Skenteras and Ms. Hanan Samadi. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Andrea Danzi, Head of the IT and R&D Department at SYSTRA Italy.

This new initiative represents an important step towards strengthening international cooperation in the tunnelling sector, with a particular focus on risk management, state-of-the-art engineering approaches, and the establishment of a sustainable platform for exchanging experience, expertise, and best practices in underground infrastructure.

To register for the first webinar, please visit:
https://lnkd.in/ev5_Bj-5

The webinar access link is available here:
https://lnkd.in/eZTTKRWU