Date of creation: November 2015 with President Resolution No. UPB-RR-015/2015 giving continuity and expanding the activities of the CIMOC created in August 2004 by the President Resolution No. UPB-RR-012/2004.
The Research Center in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CIICA) is the research unit of the Bolivian Private University responsible for performing scientific and applied research to contribute to the technological advance of the country and region based on sustainable development.
The main objectives of CIICA are:
1. Carry out applied research aligned with national and international needs, in the field of design and construction of civil works, water resources, construction materials and environmental impact assessment of large public works.
2. Contribute to the technical and economic enhancement of civil works in the country through the usage and adaptation of worldwide scientific and technological advances, and the generation of knowledge of regional application in: new materials, new design methods and efficiency in civil works construction.
3. Contribute to the quantitative and qualitative improvement of capacity building in the areas of Civil, Sanitary, Industrial, Production, Architecture, Hydrology and other related engineering fields, by incorporating innovative and applied research to consolidate the excellence of the undergraduate, graduate and extended education programs of the UPB.
The main research lines that will be developed by CIICA are focused in the following areas:
Geotechnical and Innovative Materials:
§ Geotechnical engineering and soil mechanics in road engineering
§ Soil-structure interaction
§ New concrete technologies
§ High strength concrete including synthetic fibers, pellets, and combination with metals.
Structures and Civil works:
§ Pre stressed concrete
§ Dynamic analysis and numerical simulation of structures
§ Experimental analysis of structures
§ Non lineal structure analysis
Water Resources:
§ Water balance at continental, regional, national and basin levels taking into account climatic and social change effects.
§ Development of blended precipitation products
§ Numerical simulation of hydrological models considering space-time variation of precipitation.
§ Optimization of the hydraulic structures operation to be used in early warning to support decision-making during excess or scarcity of water flows.
Environmental Engineering:
§ Control and audit in the environmental aspects related to the construction of public works and buildings.
§ Evaluation of environmental impact assessment of public works and buildings.
§ Interaction of water quality models with transport of sediments and heavy metals.
§ Technical support to update water quality standards in water, soil and air.
