Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil


The Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, is a public institution of scientific and technological research and development in Portugal. It is one of the largest civil engineering laboratories in the world.
LNEC develops its action in the different fields of civil engineering, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science regarding the definition of its strategic guidelines, as stipulated by its Organic Law, Decree Law 157/2012, of July 18.

History

LNEC was created on November 19, 1946, from the Laboratory for Materials Testing and Study of the Ministry of Public Works and the Center for Civil Engineering Studies, based at the Instituto Superior Técnico. This double-strand, research and experimentation, would decisively shape the future development of LNEC.
On June 20, 1987, LNEC was made Honorary Member of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword and on November 19, 1987, was made Honorary Member of the Military Order of Christ.
LNEC carries out research activities in the fields as follows: public works, housing, town planning, environment, water resources, estuaries, coastal areas, transportation and communication networks, materials industry, building components and other products. The main purpose of these activities is to contribute to:
Those activities are as follows: