Ground Engineering and Construction industry prepare for an October packed with innovations and awards in 2025
The Ground Engineering Construction and broader sectors have an action-packed calendar of prestigious events scheduled throughout October 2025 and beyond, underscoring the industry's emphasis on innovation, excellence, and professional development.
Kicking off the month, the GeoTech 2025 Conference and Awards will be held on 2 October at The Kia Oval in London. This event has quickly become a must-attend for those in ground engineering, spotlighting transformative solutions and breakthrough innovations shaping the sector's future. The event also introduces the GeoTech Awards, celebrating excellence in geotechnical innovation, smart solutions, and technological advancements.
On 8 October, the British Construction & Infrastructure Awards (BCIA) return to the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair. Organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in partnership with New Civil Engineer, the BCIA highlights outstanding contributions within the British construction industry across a wide range of categories. This year's awards have introduced new categories, including the Sir John Armitt Award, which honours projects that exceed client and community expectations in delivering value. Entries for the BCIA are still open until 23 May 2025, reflecting the event’s ongoing appeal and significance for the industry.
Also scheduled in London, but on 7 October, the British Geotechnical Association (BGA) Annual Dinner and Special Lecture will bring together the geotechnical community for networking and discourse. Professor Dame Sarah Springman is set to deliver the BGA Invited Lecture, offering valuable insights to attendees. On the same day at Sheffield University, a presentation on the recent update to Eurocode 7 will delve into key features such as new verification cases and material factors, particularly emphasizing numerical modelling within limit state design.
October offers a global spread of knowledge-sharing opportunities. The 11th ITA Tunnelling Awards in Belgrade, Serbia, on 1 October will run alongside the Southeastern Europe Tunnelling Conference (SETC-2025), showcasing the pinnacle of underground engineering excellence. In Asia, Geotech Asia 2025, held from 7 to 10 October in Goa, provides a comprehensive technical program covering diverse geotechnical topics, attracting professionals from academia, consulting, and contracting spheres.
Of particular interest to developers and engineers in the energy sector, a presentation on 14 October at Stantec UK in Edinburgh will examine the underground drilling and testing at the Coire Glas pumped storage hydro scheme. The project represents a milestone in Scotland’s renewable energy infrastructure, with the briefing highlighting the engineering challenges encountered.
Further international engagement includes the 5th AsRTC6 Urban GeoEngineering Symposium, slated for 23-24 October in Taipei, Taiwan, featuring technical sessions and site visits that focus on deep basement excavation in urban regeneration. Additionally, industry and academia will converge on 15-17 October in Florence, Italy, for the Third Workshop on the Future of Machine Learning in Geotechnics. This event promises to explore the symbiotic relationship between artificial and human intelligence in fostering research, practice, and ethical frameworks within geotechnical engineering.
Among infrastructure-focused discussions, the joint British Geotechnical Association and British Tunnelling Society event on 16 October at ICE’s London headquarters will provide perspective on HS2 tunnelling from the client’s viewpoint, offering rare insights into one of the UK's largest rail projects.
Closer to home in Brighton, the ICE South East Annual General Meeting on 20 October will be followed by a detailed examination of emergency repair works at Worthing Pier, an example of vital maintenance in coastal infrastructure resilience. Meanwhile, early-career professionals in geotechnics will have their networking event at ICE London on 23 October, hosted by the BGA’s Early Career Group, fostering community and knowledge exchange within the younger generation of engineers.
The month wraps up with a historical and legislative perspective on reservoir safety at an online event on 30 October, where Darren Shaw will recount key reservoir disasters including the Dolgarrog dam failure, and their lasting impact on UK reservoir regulations.
Complementing these sector-specific gatherings are other significant construction industry awards later in the year, such as the Construction News Awards on 10 July 2025 and the Constructing Excellence National Awards in November. These events continue to elevate projects and individuals who push the boundaries in technology, sustainability, and project delivery — vital themes resonating with ground engineering’s forward trajectory.
Together, this rich tapestry of conferences, workshops, awards, and lectures reflects the dynamism and global connectivity of the geotechnical and construction communities. For executives of associations, confederations, and trade bodies, these events offer invaluable opportunities not only to celebrate accomplishments but also to align with the latest innovations and collaborative trends advancing the industry.