The Laboratory of Sustainable Systems and Resilient Infrastructures – INTEREST is an officially recognized research laboratory within the University of West Attica, Greece.
The primary purpose of INTEREST is to conduct innovative and applied research, aiming to strengthen knowledge on topics of societal and scientific interest, implement relevant projects, and enrich educational material both theoretically and through hands-on applications.
The operational structure of the Laboratory, designed on the basis of distinct and complementary research units, has been established as follows:
- Unit of Early Warning Systems,
- Unit of Safe and Sustainable Mobility,
- Unit of Water Resources Management,
- Unit of Technology of Materials and Structural Applications.
The achievement of the stated objectives will be achieved through:
- Participation in national and international research experiences and interests with other research centers and scientific groups, both nationally and internationally. The implementation of this type of activities will be carried out with a view to the development of scientific knowledge and will be the main source of funding for the laboratory.
- The creation of an infrastructure for the better teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate courses relevant to the research areas in which it operates.
- The development of teaching of programs for postgraduate students in the context of the relevant research areas, with a view to provide access to specialized equipment, both for teaching of advanced subjects and for the preparation of theses and dissertations.
- Providing specialized consulting and advisory services to third parties, with priority to public sector bodies and sectors of public utility. The activities promote both the link between academia and production units and the benefits to society as a whole of development of research in higher education. At the same time, they will constitute an additional source of income to cover the operational needs and development of the laboratory.
- The association and any form of cooperation with educational institutions and research centers, laboratories and groups in Greece and abroad, as long as their scientific objectives coincide or complement those of the Laboratory.
- Organization and co- organization of seminars, workshops, symposia, conferences with expert scientists from Greece and abroad for the promotion of the objectives and the establishment of the Laboratory.
- Organization of Lifelong Learning Programs around Laboratory’s fields of knowledge.
- The creation of the necessary database and bibliographic infrastructure to support research.
- The connection of the laboratory with local community stakeholders in order to raise awareness on Sustainable Systems & Resilient Infrastructure issues as well as to promote its broader scientific objectives, interaction and responsiveness with society.