The 3rd International conference on Engineering Innovation and Seismic Mitigation of Bridges (ICEISMB 2020), sponsored by Tongji University and Nanjing University of Science and Technology, was held successfully online on November 21-22th, 2020. The conference went online this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19, in keeping with the spirit of connecting people to assist efficient, convenient and diversified global communication.  As an annually-held conference, ICEISMB has achieved its success in the past 2 years. In 2020, ICEISMB attracted more than 900 attendees coming from 28 universities from overseas, more than 90 universities and 50 enterprises and institutions in mainland China.

The opening ceremony of ICEISMB 2020 was held on 8:30AM BJT, November 21th, 2020. Professor Jiang Wu, executive vice president of Tongji University and member of the French Academy of Sciences on Architecture, made a welcome speech on behalf of the conference committee, and gave brief introduction of the university as well as the overall situation of the conference. The following welcome speech was delivered by Professor Jin Fan, academic leader in the subject of civil engineering from Nanjing University of Science and Technology.

Fourteen keynote speeches were delivered in the conference by Professor Anastasios Sextos from the University of Bristol, Professor Paolo Gardoni from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Professor Najib Bouaanani from Polytechnique Montréal, Professor Murat Dicleli from the Middle East Technical University, Professor Heng Li from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Professor Hongping Zhu from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Design Master Gongyi Xu from China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance & Design Institute Co.,Ltd., Professor Qiang Han from Beijing University of Technology, Professor Canhui Zhao from Southwest Jiaotong University, Professor Dongsheng Wang from Hebei University of Technology, Professor Airong Liu from Guangzhou University, Senior engineer Hai Yan from Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute(Group) Co., Ltd., Senior engineer Xingfei Yan from Shanghai Urban Construction Design& Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd. and Professor Weibin Peng from Zhejiang University of Technology.

In ICEISMB 2020, 79 oral presentations were arranged in all at eight sessions covering research findings, engineering practice and innovation about protection and mitigation of disasters (earthquakes, wind, vessel impact, floods, etc.), intelligent construction and building information development of bridges and other structures. Attendees completed the online communication through prepared video presentations, online chat and real-time speeches, and successfully achieved the goal of the conference which fully demonstrates the exploring, innovative, hardworking and dedicative scientific spirits of researchers from all over the world under the pandemic situation caused by COVID-19. A number of teachers and students from College of Civil Engineering in Tongji University made contribution to the conference organization and presented excellent research.

The closing ceremony of ICEISMB 2020, hosted by Dr. Xinzhi Dang from the department of bridge engineering in Tongji University, was held on 8:00PM BJT, November 22th. Meanwhile, the committee chair, Professor Wancheng Yuan from Tongji University, summarized the conference progress and expressed the deepest thanks to all attendees, co-sponsors and service personnel. Winners of oral presentations among graduate students were also announced to encourage their excellent performance in the conference.