Thank You for the Journey

Looking back, what remains most vivid are not the organisational details or the formal duties, but the human dimension of these years. I think of the conversations shared across Europe, around meeting tables, at conferences, in hallways, over meals, and during our National Assemblies. Each encounter carried its own perspective, shaped by local contexts yet connected by a shared commitment to our field. These exchanges, large and small, created the sense of community that has guided my work throughout this mandate.

It has also been a pleasure to watch this newsletter grow into a familiar space where societies can share their activities and successes with one another. Your contributions, including reports, photographs, reflections and invitations, turned it into something living and genuinely European. I am grateful to all who have taken the time to prepare content and to ensure that the voices of our region continue to be heard.

Travelling across Europe to meet many of you has been one of the great privileges of this role. Each society has its own character, history and priorities, yet everywhere I encountered the same dedication to advancing geotechnical engineering and supporting the next generation. The energy and openness of young engineers in particular has left a strong impression on me, and I am confident that the future of our field is in good hands.

As this chapter comes to a close, I would like to express my sincere thanks for your hospitality, collaboration and friendship over these years. Serving as your Vice President has been an honour. I extend my warmest wishes to the incoming Vice President, who will undoubtedly bring new ideas and momentum to the region.

To all of you, I wish a peaceful end to the year and a successful one ahead. May the spirit of exchange, collegiality and cooperation continue to strengthen our European community.

With my sincere thanks,
Professor Lyesse Laloui
Vice President for Europe, ISSMGE

Portuguese Geotechnical Society: XLII Manuel Rocha Lecture and First SPG Gala

The Portuguese Geotechnical Society (SPG), together with the Association of Geotechnical Alumni of Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC), organised the XLII Manuel Rocha Lecture on 20 October at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.

evening celebrating excellence and service. Several major awards were presented, including the Manuel Rocha Prize, the Young Geotechnical Award, the SPG Sustainability Award for innovative and sustainable geotechnical projects, and the SPG Research Award for the best international journal paper of the biennium. Long-standing individual and corporate members were also recognised for 25 and 50 years of continuous affiliation.

The Gala additionally honoured the editorial boards of Geotecnia and Soils and Rocks, the outgoing SPG Executive Committee, and the organising committees of recent flagship events. These included ECSMGE 2024 and the 12th Luso-Brazilian Geotechnics Congress with the 8th Luso-Spanish Geotechnics Journeys. Their contributions were acknowledged for strengthening the visibility and impact of Portuguese geotechnical engineering.

Special invited guests included Prof. Jean Hutchinson and Prof. Lyesse Laloui, Vice President for Europe of ISSMGE, who delivered a lecture on “The significance of scientific research in advancing geotechnical engineering.”

The evening concluded with the presentation of the SPG Career Award to three eminent figures of Portuguese and international geotechnics: Prof. António Correia Mineiro, Prof. Emanuel Maranha das Neves and Prof. Ricardo Oliveira. The award recognised their remarkable lifetime achievements and enduring contributions to research, practice and education in the field.

10th Geotechnical Symposium Held in Kocaeli, Türkiye

The 10th Geotechnical Symposium took place on 7–8 November 2025 at the Kocaeli International Congress Center. The event was organised on behalf of the Chamber of Civil Engineers (TMMOB İMO) Kocaeli, Ankara and Sakarya Branches, in collaboration with the Turkish Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ZMGM).

The organisers expressed their sincere gratitude to the Chamber of Civil Engineers Chairman, Mr. Nusret Suna, the branch executives, the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, the Organizing, Advisory and Executive Committees, as well as all sponsors, supporting institutions, industry partners, researchers and attendees whose contributions ensured the success of the symposium.

The organisers expressed their sincere gratitude to the Chamber of Civil Engineers Chairman, Mr. Nusret Suna, the branch executives, the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, the Organizing, Advisory and Executive Committees, as well as all sponsors, supporting institutions, industry partners, researchers and attendees whose contributions ensured the success of the symposium.

XVIII DECGE

Following the successful 17th Danube-European Conference on Geotechnical Engineering held in Bucharest in 2023, we are pleased to announce that the 18th edition will be organized by the Hungarian Geotechnical Society in June 2027 at the ELTE Lágymányos Campus in Budapest.

On behalf of the Hungarian Geotechnical Society, we warmly invite you to submit papers and share your work with the geotechnical community at the 2027 event in Budapest. Authors are invited to submit abstracts to the conference through the conference management system by the deadline of January 15, 2026. The XVIII DECGE will focus on “Geotechnical Engineering for Resilience and Sustainability.” The conference will address both long-standing issues and emerging priorities, extending the discussion beyond classical geotechnical topics to the pressing challenges of our time.

We look forward to your participation and to your contribution to advancing the geotechnical community.

For more details, please visit the conference website: http://www.18decge.hu

19th ECSMGE  

Organizing Committee Begins Preparations for the 19th ECSMGE in Istanbul Save the Date: 21–25 August 2028

Updates and further developments regarding the organization will be shared with ISSMGE in due course. Please stay tuned.