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.
The IUSS Graduate School of Pavia and the Eucentre Foundation are pleased to announce the 10th Nigel Priestley Seminar, which coincides with the 24th edition of the International ROSE Seminar. The event will take place on 21 and 22 May 2026 at the Auditorium of the Collegio Cardinale Agostino Riboldi, Via Luigi Porta 10, Pavia.
Now in its tenth edition, dedicated to Prof. Nigel Priestley, the seminar has established itself as one of the most significant events on the international academic scene in earthquake engineering. The programme combines public discussions of PhD theses, presentations of ongoing research by ROSE PhD students, a prestigious keynote lecture delivered by an internationally renowned expert, an overview of the activities of Eucentre and the ROSE School, and the graduation ceremony. By its very nature, the event fosters exchange and dialogue among students, prospective students, researchers, professionals and academics.
The Keynote Lecture
The 2026 Keynote Lecture will be delivered by Paolo Franchin, Professor of Structural Design and Earthquake Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome. His talk, entitled Bridging Research and Practice: Key Innovations in the Second-Generation Eurocode 8, will analyse the main technical and methodological advances introduced in the update of the European standard for seismic design, with direct implications for both academic research and professional practice. Prof. Franchin is one of Europe’s leading figures in probabilistic seismic analysis and performance-based design.
The Nigel Priestley Prize 2026
Established in 2008 and awarded every two years, the Nigel Priestley Prize recognises outstanding contributions to earthquake engineering and applied seismology. The 2026 edition of the Prize will be awarded posthumously to Prof. Paolo Emilio Pinto, an internationally renowned scholar whose pioneering work in non-linear structural modelling, structural reliability and seismic risk assessment has profoundly shaped the discipline worldwide. Among his most enduring scientific contributions is the Menegotto-Pinto model, a methodological benchmark for simulating non-linear structural response, which is still widely used in leading advanced analysis software. Prof. Pinto’s research significantly advanced the seismic safety of infrastructure, particularly bridges, anticipating the founding principles of what is now codified as resilience-oriented design. He maintained a deep connection with Eucentre and the ROSE School, where he contributed to the training of generations of engineers and researchers active around the world. The Award consists of a work of art offering an artistic interpretation of earthquakes and their impact on human beings, the environment and culture.
The academic programme
The seminar opens on the afternoon of Thursday 21 May with the public defence of three PhD theses. Martina Cogliano will present research on the seismic behaviour and reinforcement of masonry vaults in historic churches, using a meso-modelling approach with finite elements. Rita Monteiro Garcia Couto will address integrated strategies for seismic and energy retrofitting, from the regional scale down to the individual building. William Galik will defend a thesis on the development of a discrete-cracking plasticity model for assessing reinforced concrete structures damaged by earthquakes.
The first session of presentations by ROSE PhD students, scheduled for the late afternoon of 21 May, will feature contributions from José Poveda on risk-oriented capacity design for buildings with reinforced concrete walls, and from Besim Yukselen on multi-objective optimisation and decision-making in seismic retrofitting.
The morning of Friday 22 May will continue with two further presentation sessions. Session 2 will feature Marta Bertassi on the seismic response of masonry gables through experimental and numerical studies, and Margherita Buttazzoni on informed life-cycle decisions for sustainable seismic retrofit design. Session 3 will see Carlo Fontana present Autonomous Seismic Protection as a new paradigm in earthquake engineering, Serkan Hasanoglu will address the assessment of seismic fragility in Turkish reinforced concrete buildings using representative simulation models with damage accumulation, and Basar Yucel will analyse the vulnerability of buildings in the 2023 earthquake sequence in Türkiye and Syria using real-world recordings and three-dimensional physical simulations of ground motion.
The afternoon of 22 May will feature the Keynote Lecture, the presentation of the Nigel Priestley Prize, an overview of Eucentre’s and the ROSE School’s activities, and will conclude with the graduation ceremony.
Participation and registration
Researchers, professionals and students wishing to attend are kindly invited to contact info@roseschool.it or call +39 0382 516 9876. Further information is available here.
The ROSE School
Founded in 2001, the ROSE School – European School for Advanced Studies in Reduction of Seismic Risk – offers three postgraduate programmes awarded jointly by IUSS Pavia and the University of Pavia, with the support of the Eucentre Foundation and the GEM Foundation: the ROSE Master of Science in Civil Engineering for Mitigation of Risk from Natural Hazards, the ROSE Advanced Master’s in Earthquake Engineering and the ROSE PhD in Earthquake Engineering. Teaching takes place in intensive residential modules lasting from one to four weeks, a model designed to ensure the highest standards of research training, whilst fostering an international and interdisciplinary academic environment.
The venue
The seminar will be held at the Collegio Cardinale Agostino Riboldi, a historic building dating from the second half of the 17th century, specially renovated to accommodate international PhD students and visiting scholars working in the field of natural hazard risk reduction. The venue is located in the historic centre of Pavia, 35 kilometres from Milan.