Training in European Asset Management

UCD Dublin (www.ucd.ie)
UCD Dublin is the largest university in Ireland and a leading European expert in transport research (BaTIR brochure). With expertise in corrosion science, pavement management and bridge loading in particular, they have participated in EU projects such as SAMARIS, ARCHES, ASSET, Re-Road and DIRECT_MAT. The BaTIR group currently has 2 post-doctoral researchers and about 30 PhD researchers.

ROC Systemtechnik (www.opitz-consult.de)
ROC Systemtechnik is an innovative SME founded from the merging of the two companies: ROC (Germany) and BERNARD Ingenieure ZT (Austria). ROC has over 18 years comprehensive international expertise in Technologies for Telematics, R&D projects, Weigh-In-Motion, truck overload control and tolling combined with 30 years operational experience in research, industrial design and project management. While it is a small company (~10 engineering staff), it is expanding rapidly and has won contracts as far afield as Taiwan. They are currently playing a leading part in the 7th Framework project ASSET which addresses holistic road safety issues using innovative pavement test sites.

University of Nottingham (www.nottingham.ac.uk)
Independent surveys show the University of Nottingham to be one of Britain’s leading universities for both teaching and research. Nottingham is a member of both the Russell Group, which unites the country’s most powerful research-led institutions, and the prestigious Universitas 21 group, which brings together research universities from across the world. In the most recent independent research assessment exercise Nottingham achieved a top 10 place, with a total of 26 departments with the coveted 5* grading. Nottingham has more than 25,000 students in total, of which about 18,000 are full-time, including 4,000 international students from more than 100 different nations. There are more than 5,000 members of staff. The TEAM ITN will draw on expertise from the Nottingham Transport Engineering Centre (NTEC). The NTEC currently comprises 7 academic staff, 13 laboratory staff, 3 clerical staff and approximately 15 researchers.

Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux, IFSTTAR (www.ifsttar.fr)  
IFFSTAR was created from a merger of institutes INRETS and LCPC in January 2011. LCPC (French Public Works Research Laboratory) is a public research institute for applied research and development funded directly from national funds. With an overall budget of €51.8 million and a staff of 600, composed of 250 researchers and engineers, 230 technicians and 80 doctoral students, LCPC facilities extend over several sites, with two main sites being located in Paris and vicinity and another near Nantes (western France). It has extensive experience in applied research and a long tradition of hosting PhD research students from a variety of leading universities in France and other countries in the fields of civil engineering and management.

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL (http://mcs.epfl.ch)
EPFL is one of the two Ecoles Polytechniques Fédérales in Switzerland. Like its sister institution, ETHZ, it has three missions: education, research and technology transfer at the highest international level. EPFL is located on the shores of Lake Geneva, and brings together a campus of more than 10,000 people. Its novel structure is designed to stimulate collaboration between students, professors, researchers and entrepreneurs. These daily interactions give rise to new and groundbreaking work in science, technology and architecture. The TEAM ITN will draw on expertise from the Maintenance and Safety of Structures Laboratory (MCS) at EPFL. Research at MCS aims at both providing (1) a fundamental understanding of the basic phenomena acting at the material and structural levels and (2) the necessary background for the application of the proposed structural concepts with a balanced approach between material science and structural mechanics. MCS has been involved in EU projects such as SAMARIS, ARCHES, and Sustainable Bridges.

Ramboll (www.ramboll.com)
The Ramboll Group has more than 4,000 employees at 70 offices, covering the Nordic region intensively and working internationally with projects in more than 100 countries. The Ramboll Group ranks among Top 10 consultancies in Europe and Top 25 globally. Transportation is one of the major fields of Ramboll’s specialisation, and 500 graduate engineers are employed within this sector in Denmark. Ramboll has for decades provided engineering services within bridge design, bridge rehabilitation, bridge construction management, bridges supervision and bridge maintenance internationally as well as domestic. Besides being involved in the design of some of the world’s largest bridges as The Great Belt project and the Øresund Link Project, Ramboll has carried out design and supervision of more than 1000 bridges.