Ventilation and Tunnel Safety: A multidisciplinary course on road and railway tunnel safety
This collaborative online international learning course (COIL) provides a comprehensive introduction to tunnel safety, covering the full lifecycle from design and construction to operation and emergency response. Students will explore technical, legal, and strategic dimensions of safety for both road and rail tunnels, and engage with real-world case studies and expert insights from industry and academia.
Key topics include:
1. Introduction to the Tunnel Safety
2. Operation and Construction
3. Brief overview on the Legal aspects (EU and National)
4. Basics about Safety installations
5. Safety Aspects (safety strategies, tunnel fires, evacuation, sensing, risk assessment, alternative fuels, etc.)
6. Case studies road and rail Tunnels
7. Input of Experts from industries and Academia
Teaching and Learning Approach:
This is the fourth edition of the course with students of different nationalities and backgrounds from two member universities of the Unite! Alliance (TUG and PoliTo), to involve the engineers (civil, energy and mechanical) of the coming years in the topic of ventilation and tunnel safety.
Students will learn through short theory sessions and collaborative group work focused on developing safety strategies and designing safety installations.
Target group: Master and Doctoral students in the are of civil and mechanical engineering
For further information about the course and the course dates: Click here
For further information about how to apply as a Unite! student, see the 'further information' field.
* TU Graz students: register for the course in your TUGRAZonline system (Course Number: (313.197))
* PoliTo students: register for the course in your online system
* Students from all other Unite! universities: please apply by writing an email to fruhwirt@ivt.tugraz.at (including the following information: Full Name, Home University and Matriculation Number) until 27.02.2026
Students from TU Graz and PoliTo can receive credits for the course via their home institution if they are signed up for the course in their own university system.
Students from all other Unite! unviersities: To receive an official Transcript of Records, you will be registered at TU Graz for the VECP (virtual credit exchange programme) as an incoming student. You need to pay the student union fee (ÖH Beitrag), currently 25.70 €.
Please check in advance with your home university if recognition of the course is possible within your study programme.