The concept of GeoStab network has several strong points which have already been used as potential examples of good practice:

• Strong links with research at the participating institutions;

• Strong industrial links and integrated industrial training programme;

• Total integration of the PhD programme with well-defined specialisations.

Construction, mining, quarrying and manufacturing activities are, in order of importance according to quantity, the major sources of waste (about 60%) in the European Union. About half of the total amount of waste produced in the EU-28 is disposed (either land filled, land treated or released into water bodies). Furthermore cement production has severe environmental impacts, using vast amounts of fuel (usually fossil fuels) and being responsible for the emission of as much as 5% of all CO2 worldwide. The expected impacts of the activities of the GeoSTab network are:

• Environmental impacts:
  • Reduction of waste disposal;
  • Reduction of the cement used in some structural and geotechnical application;
  • Increasing recycling rate.

• Economical impacts:
  • Recovery of secondary raw materials needed in the civil applications from industrial, building and manufacturing activities;
  • Reduce the waste produced by enterprises and/or increase their business by reusing wastes in different civil engineering application;
  • Creation of new innovative products to widen enterprises’ business.

• Social impacts:
  • Create new job opportunities;
  • Increase environmental and health protection;
  • Improve the collaboration in EU in geoenvironmental and geotechnical communities (academia and enterprises), authorities and stakeholders;
  • Facilitate the transfer of the best research and innovation practices to different regions of the EU with the essential help of the involved stakeholders.