Construction is the largest sector in the economy of Greece, while Structural and Earthquake Engineering are very important for the EU’s Convergence Region of Western Greece (capital: Patras), which has the highest seismicity in Europe and will see a surge in infrastructure rojects in 2008-20. The University of Patras is already of international renown in these fields, thanks to a combination of top quality faculty and very active laboratories. It wants to enhance its position and ensure continuity to its upcoming generation of senior faculty, by improving and modernising its laboratories and by networking with 7 top European RTD centres: the UK’s Building Research Establishment (EU’s largest fire testing facility), the TAMARIS Seismic Laboratory in CEA (FR) – top shaking table facility in the EU –, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment at the EU’s Joint Research Centre (largest seismic laboratory and hub of earthquake research in the EU), the Politecnico di Torino (renowned for its strength in bridge design), TU Delft and the Geophysical Laboratory at the Université J. Fourier in Grenoble. The workplan comprises secondments to and from the 7 networking partners, repatriating (at least 3) experienced researchers, extending the capacity of the Structures lab to complex dynamic testing, establishing a fire testing facility at the Structural Materials lab, enhancing the capacity for computational simulation of seismic motions in large basins, 2 international workshops in the vicinity of Patras (with technical tours of infrastructure projects), web-based real time access to laboratory experimentation (tele-presence), production and diffusion of high level RTD.