ITA-AITES World Tunnel Congress 2018 21-26 April 2018, Dubai World Trade Centre Dubai, United Arab Emirates ITA-AITES WTC The International Tunneling and Underground Space Association (ITA) is the leading international organization promoting the use of tunnels and underground space through knowledge sharing and application of technology. ITA represents all aspects of tunnel and underground space planning, design and construction. Since its formation in 1974, ITA has encouraged the use of the subsurface and has promoted advances in planning, design, construction, maintenance and safety of tunnels and underground space. Currently, over 70 Member Nations and hundreds of Corporate and Individual Affiliate Members are members of ITA. Each year, ITA holds its General Assembly meeting and, at the same time, holds the World Tunnel Congress (WTC) in a different Member Nation around the world. WTC is the foremost international conference on tunneling and underground space where participants gather and share information to improve their industry. In 2016, the WTC will be held in San Francisco hosted by the Underground Construction Association (UCA). SOE UAE Society of Engineers - UAEwas formally organized on April 03, 1979 by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs - Ministerial Decree No. 33 1979 tofacilitate the increasing demands in professional expertise and accreditation of the engineers in the UAE. As a semi-government and nonprofit organization, we strive to provide great services to our40,000 members, such as accrediting their qualifications to practice in the UAE. Our Vision: "National Pioneering to engineers, gulf extension, international contact and an engineering reference for the public and private sectors". The Society became a member of the Arab Engineers Federation in 1984, World Federation Engineering Organization in 1985, and Gulf Engineering Union in 1986 and was the first engineering society to beISO - 9001:2008 certified in 2004. Our services include Membership, Training & Development Center, Arbitration Center, Employment Center, and Events. We issue different publications, have been accredited as a certified Test Center for international examinations, and are a Registered Education Provider of PMI. For more information you can contact us on Tel.+971-4-2399555 or website: www.soeuae.ae. The Society of Engineers-UAEis an ITA-AITES member nation since 2011, when it established the SOE UAE Tunnelling Chapter. With a goal to unite the regional tunnelling industry and promote the development and use of underground space, the SOE UAE Tunnelling Chapter organizes the Arabian Tunnelling Conference, now approaching its 4th edition, and attends regional relevant events such as Middle East Rail. The UAE Tunnelling Chapter is very excited to host the World Tunnel Congress 2018, the first time in the GCC. Call for Papers 15 March 2017 Abstracts Due 01 September 2017 Initial Paper Due 02 January 2018 Final Paper Due 15 February 2018 B. General Submission Requirements Language: English is the language of the conference and of all submissions. Review Process: All submissions will be pre-screened for conformity with submission guidelines and for overall appropriateness for the conference. Papers that pass the initial screening processes will be double-blind reviewed. Publication of proceedings: All submissions for presentation at World Tunnelling Conference 2018 will be published in the conference book. Copyright: Copyright is retained by the authors. By submitting the final paper to the conference organizers, the authors agree to allow the conference organizers to have non-exclusive use of the material for publication in the various modalities of the conference proceedings and other publications. Call for Papers 15 March 2017 Abstracts Due 18 September 2017 Initial Paper Due 15 December 2017 Paper Status Due 15 February 2018 Final Paper Due 25 February 2018