No. 2. Proceedings of the 2nd fib International PhD Symposium in Civil Engineering - 28-30 May 1999 - Budapest, Hungary PDF format

After the success of 1996, the International PhD Symposium is being organized for a second time, once again attracting young engineers and encouraging technical research. Credit is due to the Hungarian Delegation, and in particular to the Technical University of Budapest and its enthusiastic group led by György Balázs, for having organized this event for the first time two years ago, with the support of CEB, the Comité Euro-International du Béton. Thanks to Hungary’s continued efforts, the second symposium will again take place in Budapest.

The International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib – Fédération Internationale du Béton), which has since been created through the merger of CEB and FIP (Fédération Internationale de la Précontrainte), has naturally decided to continue CEB’s policy and to support this important event.

This symposium is important for the future of the profession and of our association for two main reasons. First, research forms the foundation of technical progress, alongside innovation emerging from contracting companies and design offices. Second, today’s students and young researchers are the future engineers who will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of our structures.

Research must contribute to the development of knowledge, provided it is based on rigorous scientific principles. It should aim to clarify concepts, explain physical phenomena, and provide global and comprehensive methods of analysis, rather than relying on so-called “pragmatic” approaches that merely record limited results in a narrow domain. While obtaining new limited results is useful and contributes incrementally to knowledge, real progress occurs when broader theories unify disparate methods into a coherent and innovative framework—ultimately leading to simpler and more effective design codes.

Research must also support construction practice, with practical applications as a goal. It is no coincidence that fib has dedicated its Commission 1 to “Structures,” with a program developed in cooperation with contractors, design offices, and public authorities.

Finally, research must foster the technical capacity and creativity of students. Creativity is the foundation of innovation, and research would fail in its primary purpose if it did not cultivate the imagination of future engineers.

Michel Virlogeux
President of fib (Fédération Internationale du Béton)