From October 27 to October 31, 2025, the College of Civil Engineering hosted the internationally-oriented advanced course titled “JCSS Endows Course on Structural Reliability, Probabilistic Model Code & Risk-based Decision Making”. The course was jointly organized by the Chinese Society of Vibration Engineering (CSVE) and the Joint Committee on Structural Safety (JCSS), and co-hosted by Tongji University.

    The course is a formally authorized international-level training programme by JCSS, and aims to systematically teach cutting-edge theories and engineering applications in structural reliability analysis, probabilistic modelling, and risk-based decision making. More than one hundred participants from universities, research institutes and engineering organizations across the world attended the course.

    Distinguished domestic and overseas experts were invited to teach, including JCSS President Prof. Jochen Köhler (Norwegian University of Science & Technology), Prof. Jianbing Chen (Tongji University), Prof. Yanggang Zhao (foreign member of the Japan Engineering Academy), Prof. Maria Pina Limongelli (Centre for Earthquake Prevention & Prediction, Europe), Prof. Daniel Straub (Technical University of Munich), Academician Prof. Jie Li of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and several other leading domestic scholars.

    The opening ceremony was held on the afternoon of October 28, with addresses delivered by Prof. Köhler and Prof. Chen. The course content spanned uncertainty modelling, structural reliability analysis, the JCSS Probabilistic Model Code, system reliability methods, risk analysis, Bayesian decision making, and value-of-information in structural health monitoring. The teaching format included lectures, case studies, computing exercises and group discussions, aiming to help participants deeply understand the theory, master the methods, and develop practical engineering application skills.

    During the course, instructors provided in-depth explanation of the JCSS structural reliability framework and the latest developments. Through selected engineering cases, they illustrated how risk and reliability theory can be applied in structural safety assessment and decision support. The class discussions were lively, and participants actively exchanged ideas. Many attendees expressed that the course was highly rewarding. At the end of the course an assessment was held and participants who passed received official JCSS certificates of completion.

    The closing ceremony took place on the morning of October 31, chaired by Prof. Maria Pina Limongelli and Prof. Jianbing Chen. They both highly praised the organisation and teaching quality of the course, thanked our university for its careful preparation and support, and expressed the expectation that future cooperation will continue and deepen.

    The successful delivery of this event not only strengthened academic exchange between China and the international community in the field of structural reliability, but also provided young scholars with a valuable opportunity to learn directly from international experts. It carries great significance for advancing research and application in risk‐based structural engineering and standardisation work in China.