Since the start of the tunnel research programme at the COB, it has been clear that many knowledge questions are not specifically Dutch; other European tunnel owners face the same challenges. The COB started international activities to stimulate knowledge exchange and tackle tasks more efficiently.

Time to maintain

Transport infrastructure is essential for European competitiveness and therefore for Europe’s prosperity. Tunnels are vital assets in this network with high availability requirements. Many of them need significant renovations, but shutting them down for long periods of time is no option. Because of the sheer volume and complexity of the work, these issues need to be addressed on a  European scale. 

Beyond a tunnel vision

Tunnels play a vital role in infrastructure and many of them in Europe need major renovations. Together with CEDR the COB organises the European conference Beyond a tunnel vision. During this recurring event, big questions are addressed, like: How can tunnels be renovated in a clever way? To what extent can they be updated with a minor impact on traffic? On October 16, 2024, the most recent edition took place. Read more about the ideas presented and the results achieved: Beyond a Tunnel Vision Conference in 2024.

PhD and postdoc symposium

Various universities, PhD students, and postdocs are working on finding solutions for the challenges the owners of the critical nodes in infrastructure are faced with. The PhD and postdoc symposium during Technology and Research Arena (TRA) in Dublin (April 2024) offered them a unique opportunity to share research findings with peers, senior researchers, and other professionals.

Other international activities

Apart from the bigger conferences and symposia, the COB is engaged in more international activities for the European tunnel community. Read more about our other meetings, webinars, lectures and documents that are potentially interesting for a broader audience than the Dutch.

International products

Because some underground construction issues are in fact not only Dutch, a number of originally Dutch COB publications are also available in English. This page provides an overview of those publications, wich contains living documents as well as project reports.