Symbiotic Infrastructures
SYMFRA advances the concept of Symbiotic Infrastructure — infrastructure systems conceived as integral components of ecological, biological and social systems, rather than structures that treat them as constraints.
Infrastructure systems are increasingly challenged by climate change, extreme weather, biodiversity loss, resource scarcity, ageing assets, rapid urbanisation, technological change and growing societal demands for sustainability, resilience and inclusion.
SYMFRA explores how nature, materials and communities can become active partners in enhancing resilience, sustainability and adaptability across the whole infrastructure lifecycle — from planning and design through operation, maintenance, adaptation and post-disaster recovery.
Work on Nature-based Solutions, bio-based materials, circular construction, infrastructure resilience, digital innovation and community engagement has largely evolved in parallel, within sectoral boundaries. That fragmentation limits the move from isolated interventions to integrated, scalable and evidence-based strategies.
SYMFRA brings these communities together across transport, energy, water, buildings, urban systems and communications to build a shared systems perspective — and a lasting international network behind it.
Four themes structure the community's work and the conference programme.
Nature-based and nature-inspired solutions, ecosystem services, biodiversity, ecological connectivity, climate adaptation, and resilience to floods, heat, drought, wildfires and landslides — supported by monitoring and digital tools.
Bio-based and local materials, circularity, reuse, modularity, low-carbon construction, durability, repairability and regenerative design — supported by lifecycle data and digital tracking.
Community resilience, participatory planning, governance, equity, emergency response, Living Labs and knowledge co-creation, including inclusive digitalisation and access to essential services.
Whole-life and systems thinking, infrastructure interdependencies and cascading risks, digitalisation, AI and digital twins, multi-hazard resilience, LCA and LCC, standards and regulation, financing, skills and scaling.
SYMFRA is open to researchers, practitioners, public authorities, industry and community organisations. The founding group is listed below — replace these entries with your actual members.
Department, University · Country
Department, University · Country
Research institute · Country
Department, University · Country
Organisation · Country
Department, University · Country
The committee brings research, industry and the public sector together, so that each perspective shapes both the direction of the community and the conference programme. Entries marked TBC are still being confirmed.
Universities, research institutes and laboratories across the four conference themes.
Department, university or institute
Country
Department, university or institute
Country
Department, university or institute
Country
Consultancies, contractors, technology providers, materials and NbS suppliers, and asset operators.
Company or industry body
Country
Company or industry body
Country
Company or industry body
Country
Public authorities, municipalities, regional administrations, civil protection agencies and standardisation bodies.
Authority, agency or operator
Country
Authority, agency or operator
Country
Authority, agency or operator
Country
Integrating nature, bio-based resources and communities for resilient and sustainable systems.
SYMFRA 2027 is the founding edition of a recurring conference. It offers a cross-sector forum spanning transport, energy, water, buildings and building complexes of public interest, urban systems, communications and other critical infrastructure domains.
The conference is non-profit and committed to minimising its own environmental footprint through sustainable venue, travel, catering, materials, energy and waste practices — with impacts measured and transparently reported.
Participation and presentation are possible with a two-page extended abstract, with open-access publication in a repository. Authors may additionally opt to publish a full-length paper of 6–12 pages in an indexed online proceedings volume.
Extended versions of selected papers will be explored for special issues of suitable journals.
Reduced fees are foreseen for early-career participants, those returning from a career hiatus, and retired participants.
Announcements from the community and the conference. Placeholder entries — replace with your own.
The 1st International Conference on Symbiotic Infrastructure will take place in Kavala, Greece, from 13 to 15 September 2027. Venue details and registration information will follow.
We are inviting expressions of interest from researchers and practitioners willing to serve on the scientific committee across the four conference themes.
A first working definition and shared vocabulary has been circulated for comment within the network, ahead of consolidation at the founding conference.
SYMFRA begins as an international network connecting infrastructure research and practice with ecology, bio-based resources, digital technologies and community capacity.
Questions about the community, the conference, membership or partnership — write to us.
This opens your email application with the message ready to send. To receive submissions directly on the site, connect a form service such as Formspree or Netlify Forms.
info@symfra.net
conference@symfra.net
Kavala, Greece
13–15 September 2027
Ask to be added to the list and you will receive conference announcements, calls and community updates. We send a few messages a year.
