Eucentre is a non-profit private law foundation whose mission is to conduct research and provide training and services in earthquake and safety engineering 
Eucentre promotes science, research and innovation for the benefit of the community, offering targeted methodologies and concrete solutions for prevention, safety and resilience. It collaborates with institutions and companies to disseminate competencies for the common good.
Eucentre conducts earthquake engineering research and risk reduction studies via laboratory testing and numerical analysis to enhance seismic performance and develop innovative solutions 
Eucentre carries out research activities in earthquake engineering and risk reduction through laboratory testing and numerical analysis, aiming to improve the seismic performance of structures and soils and to develop innovative seismic retrofitting techniques.
The Foundation promotes diverse and high-quality training activities aimed at academic and professional contexts, with constantly updated and innovative programs and initiatives designed to meet the evolving needs of the sector and society 
Eucentre ensures communication aimed at informing institutions, professionals, and citizens about ongoing activities and projects, with the goal of disseminating useful and accessible content and knowledge. It contributes to promoting a shared and informed culture of prevention and resilience.
Understanding earthquake dynamics and the built environment’s vulnerability underpins personal and collective safety. To meet this educational need, the Eucentre Foundation has made a series of free, interactive lessons available on its website to promote a technical and scientific culture of prevention. The educational project takes a step-by-step approach to the complexity of earthquakes and earthquake engineering, offering teachers and students tools to analyse seismic phenomena, the structural behaviour of buildings and scientific testing methodologies.
Structure of the educational programme on earthquakes
The educational programme is divided into modules structured in order of increasing complexity, tailored to the different stages of education:
- Primary school: an introduction to the physical nature of earthquakes, seismic risk and best practices for behaviour in the event of an earthquake.
- Lower secondary school: analysis of the physical nature of earthquakes, instruments and measurement scales, an introduction to the concepts of earthquake engineering, an overview of the most significant earthquakes in Italy and abroad, best practices in civil protection and a presentation of Eucentre’s activities.
- Upper secondary school: analysis of the physical nature of earthquakes with in-depth coverage of seismic wave analysis, instruments and measurement scales; an introduction to the concepts of earthquake engineering; an overview of the most significant earthquakes in Italy and abroad; best practices in civil protection; and a presentation of Eucentre’s activities.
Each teaching unit combines theoretical explanations, animated visualisations and practical diagrams. At the end of each module, interactive assessment quizzes help students consolidate what they have learnt and allow teachers to monitor learning effectiveness.
All content is fully accessible in both Italian and English, facilitating interdisciplinary learning pathways, including through CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning).
From theory to experimentation: a visit to the Eucentre laboratories
The educational experience launched online finds its natural conclusion in a hands-on technical visit to the research facilities in Pavia. School groups can access the Foundation’s laboratories free of charge to observe at close quarters the advanced instrumentation used in large-scale seismic testing:
- Multi-axis shake tables: high-precision hydraulic systems designed to faithfully reproduce real accelerograms on full-scale or scaled-down structural models.
- Reaction walls and dynamic actuators: apparatus used to subject structural and non-structural elements to cyclic pseudo-static and dynamic loads.
- Data acquisition systems: accelerometric sensors, load cells and optical displacement transducers dedicated to damage analysis.
During the 2025/2026 academic year, over 1,000 students from schools in Lombardy took part in these educational visits, observing firsthand the work of researchers and engineers committed to reducing the built environment’s vulnerability.
The institutional framework: collaboration with the Lombardy Region and the CPPC
This educational initiative forms part of the ongoing collaboration between the Eucentre Foundation and the Lombardy Region and is fully integrated within the regional network of Civil Protection Promotion Centres (CPPC). This infrastructure ensures that the principles of risk management, mitigation and land conservation do not remain isolated concepts but become an integral part of the civic and scientific education of the younger generations.
How teachers and schools can access the lessons
Access to the digital modules is free and does not require the purchase of software licences:
- Go to the dedicated section of the institutional portal.
- Select the relevant school level (primary, lower secondary or upper secondary).
- Use the modules in the classroom on interactive screens or assign the sections for independent study.
- Complete the self-assessment tests at the end of each chapter.
To view the full catalogue of teaching modules and arrange a guided technical tour of the test facilities, visit the official teaching section: https://www.eucentre.it/en/schools/