Faculty and departments
The Faculty of Civil and Mechanical Engineering of RTU, established in 2024
combining the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Transport and Aeronautics.
History
Established in 1994 at the Faculty of Civil Engineering as the Profile Institute for the Automated Design of Structures (now the Institute of Materials and Structures), and Professor Dr. habil. sc. ing. Roland Rikards.
In 1999, a separate group of professors of the automated design of building structures was created at the professional institute, headed by Dr. sc. ing. Andris Chate. In 2001, the Profile Institute was reorganized and it got the name – Institute of Materials and Constructions.
The institute was expanded with a group of professors of the use of construction materials, taken over from the Institute of Construction.
As a result of further changes, in 2003 the group of professors of automated design of building structures was transformed into the Department of Composite Materials and Structures, its head is Dr. sc. ing. Andris Chate, later from 2020 Dr. sc. ing. Sandris Ručevskis, but the group of professors of the use of building materials in construction became the professor group of Building Materials and Construction Products, which was reorganized into the Department of Construction Materials and Construction Products in 2014.
The Institute of Materials and Structures will consist of three structural units until 2023: the Department of Composite Materials and Structures, the Department of Building Materials and Construction Products, and the 3D Concrete Printing Scientific Laboratory.
The Institute of Materials and Structures was headed by prof. R. Rikards, but since 2008 the director of the institute is prof. A. Chate.
Head of Institutes of Materials and Structures from 2024 Dr. sc. ing. Sandris Ručevskis.
Science Councils
IMS participates in the implementation of the Latvian Science Council, the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science, the European Commission’s Framework Programms, the ERDF, ECF, COST, EUREKA and other institutions.
European Commission Programms
The Institute has participated and is currently taking part in the implementation of more than 25 European Commission Framework Programs (H2020, 7FP, 6FP): COALINE, INNOPIPES, FANTASIA, DESICOS, FRIENDCOPTER, ALCAS, COCOMAT, POSICOSS, etc.
Project partners
IMS project partners are leading industrial and research centers in Europe and also in Latvia: Airbus, Volvo, Agusta, IAI, Rolls-Royce, Turbomeca, AIMPLAS, Fraunhoffer, Composites Aragon, Acciona, Alke SRL, German Space Research Center (DLR), Knauf, Cemex, UPB, Sakret, Tenapors.
Scientific research and industry partners
IMS research is also closely interlinked with industry partners in Latvia and the Baltics – research are being carried out on composites and building materials, in the survey of buildings, as well as in the development of new types of innovative materials.
Study programms
IMS takes an active part in ensuring the education process of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, implementing various training programms.