Mission Statement
Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the TUUI Collaborative brings together experts from across disciplines, technical specialties, and geographical locations to advance fundamental knowledge in designing, constructing, operating, controlling, maintaining, protecting, and improving urban underground infrastructure systems.
The Collaborative aims to support collaborations and activities to transform urban underground infrastructure in light of recent breakthroughs in computing, sensing, machine learning, automation, materials, and more. It creates new opportunities to advance preliminary ideas around big questions and major gaps. It serves as a forum for information and resource sharing, idea generation, fostering collaboration, creating expert resources, and forming new national and international partnerships. Together, these efforts work toward solutions, scientific advancement, and a shared vision for the future of urban underground infrastructure.
Through an activity group structure and open, expert-led avenues for participation, and small seed grants, the Collaborative helps form new research partnerships and paths for research coordination and advancement.
Initial ideas for this Collaborative were created through the joint NSF- and United Kingdom’s Research Innovation (UKRI)-funded 2023 US-UK Transatlantic Workshop on Transformation in Urban Underground Infrastructure (reports: https://civil.vse.gmu.edu/miller/us-uk-underground-workshop.html).