The preservation and maintenance of existing dams represents a challenge for the whole dam community, in particular in Europe characterized by the presence of infrastructures that in many cases are close to or have even overcome the design life. Most of these structures play a key role on water supply and energy production. Moreover,according to the European policies on energy and water resources, an increasing demand of clean energy and sustainable water can be observed that is requiring a possible upgrading program of many old dams capable to guarantee the environmental and socio-economic restraints.

On the other hand, in the last decades many large hydro and hydroelectric leader companies have undergone deep reorganizations with the renewal of human resources and the unavoidable retire of experienced personnel. Very often, the necessary overlapping between old and new generations has not been guaranteed giving possibly rise to agap in the knowledge and skill transfer. The transfer of experience, skill and knowledge from generations is then acrucial challenge that has to be tackled without any delay by all the involved parties: dam operators, designers, authorities. In the frame above briefly outlined, it is noteworthy mentioning the contribution given by the ICOLD Committee on “Computational Aspects of Dam Analysis and Design” to the diffusion of knowledge in the specific field of numerical modelling that has reached a key role in the dam safety assessment and design process [1], [ 2].

The Committee was appointed by ICOLD as an ad hoc one in 1988 with the aim to contribute to the diffusion of computer software in the field of dam engineering and to fill the gap existing between the specialists of mathematical modelling and dam designers, planners, and managers. During the 2005 ICOLD Annual Meeting, the Committee was appointed as a permanent Technical Committee.

The work done by the Committee during its long activity has given rise to the issuing of three technical Bulletin sand to the organization of twelve Benchmark-Workshops, with the aim to guide dam engineers in the correct use of computer programs. The benchmarking activity has been related to concrete as well as embankment dams and represents a reference for the whole dam community, and in particular for those young engineers engaged in the challenging task of dam safety assessment and design.