Scope

The evolving complexity and interdependence of critical infrastructures- alongside their growing reliance on digital technologies- pose unprecedented challenges for resilience assessment and management. As infrastructures become increasingly interconnected, the potential for cascading failures, systemic disruptions, and hybrid threats (both physical and cyber) demands a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach. The 68^th ESReDA Seminar on “Multidisciplinary Approaches to Resilience Assessment in Critical Infrastructures and Digital Systems” aims to provide a platform for the exchange of scientific knowledge, practical insights, and methodological advancements related to the resilience of complex socio-technical systems. This seminar will explore the integration of engineering principles, information and communication technologies (ICT), risk and systems sciences, human and organizational factors, and public policy to advance a holistic understanding of resilience. Building upon the outcomes of previous ESReDA seminars, this event is part of the ESReDA project group work on “Resilience Assessment of Critical Infrastructure” and will foster collaborative dialogue among academic researchers, industry practitioners, regulators, and other stakeholders. The seminar seeks to promote the development of rigorous, evidence-based frameworks and tools for resilience assessment and enhancement, in the context of increasing uncertainty, technological transformation, and societal expectations

The seminar will serve as a platform to reflect on and advance understanding of the following key topics:

• Multidisciplinary models and frameworks for resilience assessment of critical infrastructures
• Integration of physical and digital resilience strategies, including cross-domain risk modelling and interdependency analysis
• Systemic risk analysis in complex and interconnected socio-technical environments
• Security and resilience of cyber-physical systems: methods for detection, response, and recovery
• Metrics and indicators for resilience assessment: development, validation, and practical application
• Advanced simulation techniques and digital twin technologies for stress-testing and scenario planning
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning in predictive resilience and real-time decision support
• Data-driven and sensor-based approaches for early warning, situational awareness, and adaptive infrastructure management
• Human and organisational resilience, emphasising communication, coordination, and non-technical capabilities
• Resilience engineering in urban systems, with a focus on smart cities, critical services, and infrastructure interdependence
• Governance, regulation, and policy frameworks for enhancing resilience in critical infrastructures
• Case studies and empirical insights drawn from past disruptions across sectors
• Participatory methods and stakeholder engagement in resilience planning and evaluation processes
• Resilience in the context of climate change and energy transition, including strategies for adaptation and transformation
• Educational programs and capacity-building initiatives to support cross-sectoral resilience competencies

The 68^th ESReDA Seminar will serve as a forum for critical reflection and interdisciplinary dialogue on the challenges, methodologies, and innovations in the assessment and enhancement of resilience in critical infrastructures and digital systems. The seminar aims to foster a deeper understanding of how multidisciplinary approaches - spanning engineering, data science, cyber-physical systems, human factors, and policy - can be integrated to improve the robustness, adaptability, and recoverability of complex socio-technical systems.

Target groups and domains of application

The seminar invites contributions from a broad range of stakeholders engaged in the design, operation, regulation, and study of critical infrastructures and digital systems. This includes academic researchers, industry professionals, regulators, system developers, infrastructure operators, consultants, and representatives of public authorities.

Submissions should address multidisciplinary perspectives on the assessment, modelling, enhancement, and governance of resilience in complex, interdependent systems. Contributions may focus on sector-specific or cross-sectoral approaches, and are particularly encouraged from the following domains:

• Energy infrastructure: including nuclear and non-nuclear power generation (fossil, renewable), smart grids, energy storage, and distribution networks.
• Process and high-risk industries, such as oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical sectors, where operational continuity and digital control systems intersect.
• Advanced manufacturing systems: particularly those adopting Industry 4.0 technologies, industrial IoT, and cyber-physical systems.
• Hydrogen and emerging energy technologies: focusing on infrastructure safety, integration, and resilience under uncertainty.
• Digital infrastructures: including cloud computing, data centres, telecommunications networks, and critical software platforms.
• Transport systems: rail, road, air, and maritime infrastructure, including autonomous mobility, intelligent transport systems, and logistics resilience.
• Aerospace and aviation: digital resilience in complex supply chains and critical safety systems.
• Urban systems and smart cities: integrated urban infrastructure (mobility, utilities, ICT) and their exposure to physical and cyber threats.
• Critical service delivery: water and wastewater systems, public health infrastructure, and emergency services.
• Public sector and governance institutions: addressing resilience policy, regulatory frameworks, and inter-organisational coordination.

This seminar aims to address resilience to a wide range of hazards and disruptions, including natural disasters, technological accidents, hybrid and Na-Tech events, cybersecurity incidents, and systemic interdependencies.

ESReDA Project Group on Resilience Assessment of Critical Infrastructure

The project group (PG) has started in 2022 and focuses on resilience applications in critical infrastructures, promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration and application of proven methods from one infrastructure domain (e.g. energy, NATECH systems) to other infrastructures. The PG partners focus on the specific infrastructure domain they are working on and promote methodological exchange of successful methods or approaches. The aim of the PG is to develop and propose an integrated approach for quantitative resilience assessment including management decisions (comparison of solutions for investment, maintenance) in a context of uncertain scenarios (global change and emerging threats). The PG continues the work done in the previous ESReDA project group “Resilience Engineering and Modelling of Networked Infrastructure”, led by University of Nottingham (Dr. Rasa Remenyte-Prescott, Prof. John Andrews, Kate Sanderson) during 2018-2021 years. The PG work was accomplished by publishing a book “Modelling the Resilience of Infrastructure Networks” (Eds. Rasa Remenyte-Prescott, Vytis Kopustinskas) in late 2021.

Organisation

ESReDA and Riga Nordic University in Riga, Latvia, jointly organise the Seminar.

Location: Riga Nordic University (RNU), 1 Valērijas Seiles Street, Building 5, Riga, LV-1019, Latvia

Local Organising Committee (LOC)

• Laila Zemīte                                       (Riga Nordic University, LATVIA)
• Antonina Djakona                           (Riga Nordic University, LATVIA)
• Andrejs Cinis                                     (Riga Nordic University, LATVIA)
• Anete Plota                                       (Riga Nordic University, LATVIA)

Relevant dates, abstracts and papers submission, preliminary schedule:

• Submission of abstracts:                                before 20 December 2025.
• Notification to authors:                                 20 January 2026
• Submission of camera-ready papers:       31^st March 2026

• 13 May 2026: ESReDA joint activities, including the Board of Directors meeting and project group sessions.
• 14–15 May 2026: The 68th ESReDA Seminar will take place on 14 May (full day) and continue on 15 May (until lunchtime).
• A Tour from RNU will be organised on the afternoon of 15 May for interested participants.

Technical Program Committee

• John Andrews                                   University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
• Anne Barros                                       CentraleSupélec, France
• Julien Baroth                                      University of Grenoble, France
• Christophe Bérenguer                   University of Grenoble, France
• Jelena Caiko                                       Riga Nordic University, Latvia
• Marko Čepin                                      University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Micaela Demichela                          Politecnico di Torino, Italy
• Antonina Djakona                            Riga Nordic University, Latvia
• Deniss Djakons                                  Riga Nordic University, Latvia
• Mohamed Eid                                    RiskLyse, France
• Gianluca Fulli                                      EC Joint Research Centre, Italy
• Saulius Gudžius                                 Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
• Antonio Guillen                                 Ingeman, Spain
• Vytis Kopustinskas                           EC Joint Research Centre, Italy
• Pierre-Etienne Labeau                   Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
• Tomasz Nowakowski                      Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland
• Rasa Remenytė-Prescott              University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
• Sigitas Rimkevičius                           Lithuanian Energy Institute, Lithuania
• Giovanni Sansavini                           ETH Zürich, Switzerland
• Jean-Marc Tacnet                            University of Grenoble, France
• Agnieszka Tubis                                Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland
• Bogdan Vamanu                               ‘Horia Hulubei’ National Institute of Physics and Nuclear

Engineering, Romania

• Madina Mansurova                         Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan
• Nadežda Kuņicina                            Riga Technical University, Latvia
• Anna Mutule                                      Riga Technical University, Latvia
• Artjoms Obusevs                              ZHAW School of Engineering, Switzerland
• Karol Kowal                                        National Centre for Nuclear Research, Poland
• Laila Zemite                                        Riga Nordic University, Latvia

Procedure to submit an abstract, paper and to register.

The abstracts, not exceeding 400 words, should address:

• Objectives of the paper
• Relevance to the Seminar
• Novelty or relevant contribution to the subject
• Methods and findings
• Main conclusions

The language of the seminar is English.

Final papers (4 to 12 A4 pages) should be submitted after the notification to the authors. Extended abstracts (2-5 pages A4 pages including references) are an alternative to full papers. ESReDA will publish both extended abstracts and full papers in the online proceedings.

Authors wishing to present a paper are invited to submit an abstract online at https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=68thesredaseminar and send their submission in copy to isma@isma.lv and/or Laila.zemite@isma.lv

Guidance for authors and speakers about the format to be used for ESReDA camera-ready papers will be sent directly to authors who expressed interest in writing a contribution.

More information will be announced soon on the ESREDA webpage: http://www.esreda.org/

Seminars Proceedings

The final proceedings of the 68^th Seminar will be edited in the form of a Technical Report and e-published with public access.

Registration and Seminar Fee

Registration will be accepted until 15^th April 2025. A registration form and information package for the venue will be made available on the ESReDA website (http://www.esreda.org/).