Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundation

The Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundation (財團法人地工技術研究發展基金會) is a Taiwanese non-profit foundation dedicated to advancing geotechnical engineering practice. Its origins lie in the magazine Sino-Geotechnics (地工技術), which began publishing in 1983 as a magazine company supported by donors and advertisers. In 1988 the foundation was formally established, and the magazine became the foundation's journal, with the magazine company transformed into the foundation's board structure. Since its founding the foundation has been led by 12 chairpersons across 13 terms, and it reports 343 individual sponsors and 23 corporate sponsors. The foundation's stated purpose is to unite interested people at home and abroad to promote geotechnical technology, raise domestic engineering standards and support national economic development. Its main activities include organizing engineering seminars and symposia, assisting government agencies in drafting and recommending geotechnical regulations and standards, building a geotechnical database for collecting, analyzing and disseminating information, encouraging research in geotechnical technology and geotechnical science, and publishing the Sino-Geotechnics journal and other related publications. The journal Sino-Geotechnics has been published for four decades and, as of the evidence, has reached issue 188, with issue 189 themed on water-area geotechnical structure cofferdams. Each issue is organized around a theme, and over the years topics have covered site investigation, foundation design and construction, slope stability, ground improvement, groundwater, tunneling and soil liquefaction. The foundation also runs an engineering geology seminar series, engineering site visits, and the TORSA (Taiwan Originated Retaining Structure Analysis) deep excavation analysis program, along with T3-STRUT excavation bracing analysis. It maintains an awards area including the Best Paper of the Year, Xin Chuan (薪傳), and the Dr. Chen Dousheng Memorial Lecture. The foundation is based in Taiwan and communicates through its website, phone, fax and email.

The Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundation traces its roots to 1983, when Sino-Geotechnics (地工技術) began operating as a magazine company. At that stage the publication relied entirely on the generous donations of sponsors and on advertising support from manufacturers. Seeking a breakthrough, and after efforts from many parties, the foundation was formally established in 1988 as the Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundation (財團法人地工技術研究發展基金會). With this step the Sino-Geotechnics magazine was converted into the foundation's journal, and the magazine company was transformed into the foundation's board organizational structure. Since its establishment the foundation has been led by 12 chairpersons across 13 terms. It reports 343 individual sponsors and 23 corporate sponsors, and expresses the hope that more people sharing the same ideals will continue to participate in its work to advance geotechnical engineering technology. The foundation's logo uses four characters taken from the Wei stele Gao Zhen (魏碑高貞). In the logo, the characters 地 and 技 each carry one extra dot compared with current common writing. The foundation explains that it retains these two dots out of respect for the ancient copybook and for calligraphic structural balance, not as invented characters; the extra dots symbolize the boundary between technology and art, reflecting the foundation's view that geotechnical engineering is not only technique but often art. The foundation's stated purpose is to unite enthusiastic people at home and abroad to jointly promote geotechnical engineering technology, raise domestic engineering standards and promote national economic development. The ideals and direction of the Sino-Geotechnics journal are to provide a writing venue so that the valuable practical experience of geotechnical professionals can be preserved and exchanged, and through the journal's circulation to deepen understanding of the importance of geotechnical engineering, raise the level of geotechnical engineering in Taiwan and enhance the community's international engineering and academic standing. From its inception the journal has focused on exchanging engineering practice experience rather than becoming an academic theory research publication. In editing and selecting content it insists on engineering examples as the focus, prioritizing experience from theory, design and construction. To keep direction clear, each issue plans a theme. Over 40 years, themes have ranged from exploration and investigation, foundation design and construction, slope stability treatment, ground improvement, groundwater, tunnel engineering and soil liquefaction, covering almost all types of problems geotechnical engineering may encounter. By the evidence, 188 issues have been published, with issue 189 themed on water-area geotechnical structure construction cofferdams, covering reservoirs, tidal estuaries, coastal sections and urban river channels. Beyond publishing, the foundation organizes engineering seminars and symposia, assists government agencies in drafting and recommending geotechnical regulations and standards, builds a geotechnical database for collecting, analyzing and disseminating data, encourages research in geotechnical technology and geotechnical science, and publishes the journal and other related publications. Its event history includes engineering geology seminars, engineering visits, sharing dinners and specialized seminars, such as the 2023 40th anniversary series, the 2024 0403 Hualien earthquake real-time forum, TORSA workshops, and seminars on MRT geotechnical engineering and deep excavation. The foundation also maintains an awards area including the Best Paper of the Year, Xin Chuan (薪傳) and the Dr. Chen Dousheng Memorial Lecture.

• 2025

  Seminar series 46 on MRT geotechnical engineering and Terzaghi 100; TORSA 2025 workshop.

• 2024

  0403 Hualien earthquake real-time forum held.

• 2023

  Sino-Geotechnics 40th anniversary series of events, including city geotechnical巡回 lectures and visits.

• 1988

  The Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundation is established; the magazine becomes the foundation's journal and the magazine company becomes the foundation's board structure.

• 1983

  Sino-Geotechnics begins operating as a magazine company, supported by sponsors' donations and manufacturers' advertising.

A non-profit professional foundation and publisher serving Taiwan's geotechnical engineering community, bridging practice and research through its journal, software, seminars and awards.

• Sino-Geotechnics journal (地工技術)

  The foundation's flagship journal, published for 40 years and reaching issue 188 in the evidence, with each issue organized around a theme.

• TORSA (Taiwan Originated Retaining Structure Analysis)

  A one-dimensional analysis program for deep excavation retaining structures, developed jointly by experts and scholars with extensive experience in deep excavation analysis, design, construction and practice.

• T3-STRUT

  Excavation internal bracing analysis software.

• Publications and book series

  Journal purchases, book series, reader columns, physical and e-book listings, and publication information.

1. 1財團法人地工技術研究發展基金會 - Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundationgeotech.org.tw
2. 2地工沿革 - Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundationgeotech.org.tw
3. 3地工技術歷史列表 - Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundationgeotech.org.tw
4. 4地工技術服務項目 - Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundationgeotech.org.tw
5. 5Sino-Geotechnics Research and Development Foundation - Wikidatawikidata.org