The Joint NCREE/JRC Workshop on “INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION ON EARTHQUAKE DISASTER MITIGATION RESEARCH (Methodologies, Facilities, Projects and Networking)” to be held from November 17th to 20th, 2003 in Taipei, Taiwan is organized in the framework of the bilateral Collaboration Agreement on “Methodologies, Technologies and Tools for Seismic Protection” between the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC). Moreover, Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Research is one of the key areas in which it has been decided to establish Scientific and Technological Cooperation after the Consultation between EC and Taiwan through the Official Representative of Taiwan in Brussels.

Collaboration on Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Research is progressively taking place at international level. NCREE has been an observer in the European Thematic Network on Structural Assessment, Monitoring and Control (SAMCO) in which a division for promoting the international collaboration is structured. This workshop will be the first relevant contribution to this international chapter of SAMCO. In addition, both JRC and the US Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) sponsored by NSF are partners of a proposal for networked research entitled “Facilities for Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Research” launched by National Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) in Japan. The workshop should thus contribute to the success of a tri-lateral initiative by facilitating closer ties among all the partners.

The Joint NCREE/JRC Workshop will provide an excellent opportunity for discussing the state of the existing international collaboration on Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Research by allowing exchange of research ideas on structural assessment methodologies, experimental facilities, ongoing projects and existing / future networked research. The workshop should further contribute to enhancing international collaboration between key institutions to share knowledge, methodologies, tools and results of past and future research. International collaboration can be installed through networking, joint participation to international projects and contribution to national projects of common interest.

The present proceedings collect the papers to be presented in the Joint NCREE/JRC Workshop. The technical program consists of two days of oral presentation on the following topics: methodologies for vulnerability assessment, facilities for earthquake disaster prevention research, international projects, international networks and perspectives. A poster session has also been organized to introduce a wide range of researches conducted in NCREE. In addition, a final discussion session is organized in order to exchange ideas on how to effectively organize and further develop the international collaboration on Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Research.

The organizers of the workshop would like to thank all participants for their dedicated effort and support. The workshop was made possible thanks to the financial support of the National Science Council of Taiwan through NCREE. To this, all participants of the workshop express their sincere thanks and appreciation.

Workshop Co-Chairs

Chin-Hsiung Loh
Keh-Chyuan Tsai
Vito Renda
November 2003