The ITACET Foundation aims to aid young professionals to achieve a higher level of education in the field of tunnelling and underground space use.

The Foundation uses its financial and organizational means to help organize continuing education actions and sponsor young professionals by granting scholarships to follow ITA-AITES endorsed Master's courses or training sessions.

SCHOLARSHIP CRITERIA Read our criteria for granting scholarship to ITA-AITES endorsed master courses ( includes application form) >>

In May 2011, following a decision of its Council, the Foundation started its sponsorship programme.

This programme aims to provide financial help to young engineers from emerging countries, so that they may follow one of the ITA-AITES endorsed post-graduate courses.

Post-Graduate Master Courses endorsed by ITA

Specialized Master's in Tunnel Engineering - Politecnico di Milano - Italy

Email: master-tunnelling-dica@polimi.it
Web: http://www.mastertunnelling.polimi.it/?page_id=9
Flyer: Click here

Specialized Master's in Tunnelling and Tunnel Boring Machines - Politecnico di Torino - Italy

Email: master.universitari@polito.it
Web: Click here
Flyer: _MAS Tunnelling Turin .pdf

Specialized Master's in Tunnelling and Underground Structures - INSA / ENTPE - France

List of professional theses 2013-2014.pdf
Email: sefdi@insa-lyon.fr
Web: http://www.insa-lyon.fr/fr/mastere-ouvrages-souterrains/

Master's in Tunnels and Underground Works – AETOS Madrid - Spain

Email: master@aetos.es
Web: http://www.aetos.es/master-programa-tuneles-y-obras-subterraneas-aetos

Master's in Civil Engineering with a Specialization in Tunnels and Underground Works  - UNAM - Mexico

Email: fainge@unam.mx

Web: http://www.ingenieria.unam.mx/~posgradoingcivil/index.html

We are proud to introduce the young professionals that the Foundation has sponspored to date:

Abdul Rehman (India) 2021-2022

MSc in Tunnelling and Underground Space - AETOS - Spain

Adama Fofana (Ivory Coast) 2021-2022

Specialized Master's in Tunnels and Underground Works - ENTPE / INSA - France

Mohammed Beghoul (Algeria) 2020-2021

Specialized Master's in Tunneling and Tunnel Boring Machines - Politecnico di Torino - Italy

Sebastien Bolivar (Colombia) 2019-2020

Specialized Master's in Tunnel Engineering - Politecnico di Milano - Italy

Annisa Renaningtysa Tadiyana (West Java) 2019-2020

MSc in Tunnelling and Underground Space - Warwick University - UK

Daniela Zapata (Colombia) 2018 -2019

Specialized Master's in Tunnels and Underground Works - ENTPE / INSA - France

Sweta Nemani (India) 2018 - 2019

Specialized Master's in Tunneling and Tunnel Boring Machines - Politecnico di Torino - Italy

Priscilla Antoniazza Campos (Brazil) 2017 - 2018
Specialized Master's in Tunnels and Underground Works - ENTPE / INSA - France

John Paul Ramirez Santa (Colombia) 2017 - 2018
MSc in Tunnelling and Underground Space - Warwick University - UK

Erik Riva Valverde 2016 - 2017
MSc in Tunnelling and Underground Space - Warwick University - UK

Alfredo Vasquez (Ecuador) 2016 - 2017
Specialized Master's in Tunnels and Underground Structures - ENTPE / INSA - France

Rodrigo Winderholler (Argentina)  2015 - 2016
Master's in Tunneling and Tunnel Boring Machines - Politecnico di Torino - Italy

Sandeep Singh Nirmal (India) 2015 - 2016
MSc in Tunnelling and Underground Space – Warwick University - UK

Annick Ettien. (Ivory Coast) 2013 - 2014
Joint INSA / ENTPE MAS on "Tunnels et ouvrages souterrains" in Lyon.
Read our short news published in the ITACET Foundation Newsletter #20 >>

Govindaraju Thangavelu Senthilnath (India) 2013 - 2014
Specialized Master's in Tunnelling and Tunnel Boring Machines  - Politecnico di Torino
Read his blog “Geotech and Tunnel Engineering , Experiences & Excerpts; Ideas & Impressions; Reviews & Ramblings of a Civil Engineer “//geo-technical.blogspot.it

Santosh Kumar Yadav (Nepal) 2012 - 2013
Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) on Tunnelling at EPFL Lausanne.

Manh Ha Nguyen (Vietnam) 2012 - 2013
Joint INSA / ENTPE MAS on "Tunnels et ouvrages souterrains" in Lyon.

Murat Balatan. (Turkey) 2011 - 2012
Joint INSA / ENTPE MAS on "Tunnels et ouvrages souterrains" in Lyon.

Farida Maharani  (Indonesia) 2011- 2012
Specialized Masters in Tunnelling and Tunnel Boring Machines in Politecnico di Torino

TESTIMONIALS

Alfredo Vasquez received a scholarship from the ITACET Foundation in 2016 in order to follow the Specialized Master's in Tunnelling in Tunnelling and Underground Structures run by the ENTPE / INSA in Lyon, France:

"Tunnelling has been a part of our lives for more than 100 years. We have long come to realize that the surface will one day become congested and that the best way to connect two points beneath the ground is by a tunnel.

Tunnels bring us closer, reducing travel time, and this is one reason why everybody loves tunnels. Traditionally, tunnelling has been the specific domain of geologists, miners and civil engineers whose primary means of acquiring knowledge in this field was by working on specific tunnelling projects, as there were few courses or universities around the world that proposed a specific Masters course.

In 2010, with great insight, the INSA Lyon, ENTPE, CETU and AFTES, decided to offer a specific post-graduate Masters degree in Tunnelling and Underground Structures. This specialized Masters degree is proposed to students that already have a Master’s degree and who want to gain specific knowledge in tunnelling.

This degree is a great solution for engineers who want to discover this highly interesting field. The course is a great mix between sound theoretical knowledge and practical work. During this Master’s course, students have the opportunity to visit many underground projects (metro projects, hydropower projects, underground car parks, a nuclear laboratory and a TBM factory). The knowledge acquired throughout the course is applied in two real life projects and is completed by a professional thesis developed over 5 months of internship in a specialised company. I had the incredible opportunity to do my internship at Arcadis Lyon, studying long-term effects in tunnel linings, and worked on many other projects such as wall design and tunnel modelling using finite elements.

Since the creation of this specialized Masters course, the ITACET Foundation has proposed scholarships to numerous students from developing countries. My name is Alfredo Vazquez and I come from Ecuador. Without the support of the ITACET Foundation It would have been impossible for me to participate in this course.

Since this great experience, I have been working to establish an Ecuadorian tunnelling association, to promote the construction of underground structures and to share all the knowledge I have acquired with engineers and students in my country. Ecuador is the perfect country in which to dig tunnels; primarily because it is a safe way to connect the country that is crossed by the Andes Mountains and also because there is considerable hydropower potential.

For this purpose, I am establishing some iconic tunnel projects that will show Ecuadorians what the country can be like in the future, how tunnels can be a part of Ecuador’s development, and how they can change the economic development of the country.

One of my goals is to promote a South American magazine that could be distributed by all the Spanish-speaking associations, allowing us to share the knowledge obtained by every country involved in underground projects.

Tunnelling has a low impact on the environment and along with the development of new technologies, tunnelling can be cheaper and safer. Nowadays, tunnelling has fewer limitations and is being considered as a solution to various issues, not just for transportation.

I highly recommend the specialized Masters programme on Tunnelling and Underground Structures proposed by INSA Lyon and ENTPE, which has proved to be a great way to enter and discover this fascinating branch of engineering.

Finally, I would like to thank the ITACET Foundation and hope they continue with the great job that they are doing. Without their support it wouldn’t be possible for many students to enrol on this type of Masters course. I strongly believe that all the work they are doing, will help to develop the tunnelling culture throughout the world".

Senthilnath Govindaraju Thangavelu received a scholarship from the ITACET Foundation in 2013 in order to follow the Specialized Master's in Tunnelling and Tunnel Boring Machines at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy:

"In retrospect, quitting a job after 5 years of work experience to pursue a specialized course in the field of tunnelling was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Our course coordinator (Prof. Daniele Peila) made sure that people from different backgrounds (with various levels of experience as well as with various expertise) were able to adapt to the curriculum. The first term was developed in a way to ensure that all students were equally familiar with the tunnelling terms and techniques. Second and third terms dealt with advance and niche topics within tunnelling. The programme combined university lectures with expert lectures from construction companies, machine manufacturers, design firms and industry professionals to provide multidisciplinary knowledge. During the course we had the opportunity to visit TBM manufacturing plants and construction sites for the practical exposure of the theories discussed. The programme concluded with a thesis to be completed during our internship at a construction site. The aspect I really enjoyed about the course work was the case studies of the famous, successful, innovative as well as unsuccessful tunnelling works around the world. This gave us an eye for detail and a sense of responsibility in what we are trained to do.

It was of course not “all work and no play”. During the stay in Turin, we had the opportunity to enjoy Italian cuisine and appreciate the rich Italian culture and heritage.

It has been more than 2 years since I completed my course and I can confidently say that the course has honed my skills and improved my understanding of complex underground infrastructure issues".

About the Grant recipient:

Senthil Nath G T completed his thesis on the topic “Face stability of Closed TBMs in Urban Tunnels”. He is currently working as a senior tunnel engineer with Geoconsult in Singapore. He was finalist for ITA Awards 2016 under the category “Young Tunneller of the Year” and winner of the NCE Tunnelling Awards 2016, UK under the same category.