The research activity will focus on emerging concepts like semi-active or hybrid control of civil engineering and industrial structures. In Europe, structural control is moving the first steps towards civil engineering applications. From its creation the European Association for the Control of Structures was established directly at a European level and not at all as a co-operation of nationally established associations: this gives evidence to the impossibility of finding in a single country large researc hgroups specialised in structural control.Furthermore the multidisciplinary character inherent to the hi-tech developments persued here requires that the experts be free to operate across geographical borders.