Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje - UKIM (www.ukim.edu.mk), the first and the largest State University in the Republic of Macedonia, was founded in 1949. UKIM represents a functional community of 23 faculties, 5 research institutes and 4 public scientific institutions. UKIM offers high-standard teaching and research in all scientific fields – natural sciences and mathematics, technical and technological sciences, medical sciences and health, biotechnical sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts. Nowadays, over 60,000 domestic and foreign students are following the first, second and third cycle studies. Over 3,100 teaching, research, associate, as well as administrative staffs participate in the realization of the teaching and scientific process. UKIM has more than 100 well equipped laboratories.
Institute for Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology-IZIIS (member of UKIM), founded in 1965, is housed in 3 administrative-research buildings and a laboratory. It is organized into 6 departments (one is mandated for “Risk, Disaster Management and Strategic Planning”), 6 laboratories, a Centre for Ecology and a Centre operating under the Council of Europe - Euro-Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement. In addition to other highly sophisticated equipment, IZIIS also possesses a 5 component, 5 x 5 m state of the art shaking table for testing full scale elements and models. For students from the Balkan countries and beyond, IZIIS has been organizing regular master and PhD studies in the field of Earthquake Engineering, Engineering Seismology and Planning for Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction. The master studies that started in 1966 were the first master studies of that kind in Europe. In the period 1982 till 2006, based on the bilateral Protocol for Cooperation and Agreement with the Government of the Royal Netherlands, IZIIS organized the 12-week International Course on Aseismic Design and Construction (CADAC), providing training for a total of 520 participants coming from 75 developing countries from 4 continents. Presently, IZIIS is in the final stage of administrative arrangements to become Category 2 UNESCO Institute.
Faculty of Civil Engineering-FCE (member of UKIM) was founded in 1949. FCE is organised in 14 chairs that covers the courses in structural, geotechnical, hydraulic engineering and roads and railways. For the needs of research and applied works, there are 10 laboratories. Relevant for the project are the laboratories for testing the mechanical and thermo-technical characteristics of materials and structures. Fire Safety courses are part of the master and doctoral study programs for more than 15 years and Earthquake Engineering courses for more than 45 years.
In the last 5 years members of UKIM participated in more than 80 scientific projects in the framework of TEMPUS, FP6, FP7, IPA, NATO and recent H2020 projects.
