The internationalization of the team in railway matters dates back to 1994, as a result of the European project SAVANTE- Sound and Vibration Network in Europe (Ref: ERBCHRXCT930397), led by the ISVR of the University of Southampton, and in which the University of the Basque Country acted as a partner. In 2004 and the following years, the group collaborated with some of the main European universities and research centers as a result of the EURNEX-European Rail Research Network of Excellence project (Ref: FP6-PLT-506513). From 2009, the applicant team was a founding member of the EURNEX eV Association, together with significant entities in the area of ​​railways, both national (UPM, UPC, CEIT, TIFSA,) and foreign (POLIMI, INRETS, Imperial College London, Univ Southampton, Univ Birmingham, UIC, UITP, RWTH Aachen, Univ Tec Berlin, Delft Univ Tech, UKLeuven, Chalmers, KTH, etc.).

On the other hand, in 2013 the members of this group managed to make the University of the Basque Country part of the promoters of the European Joint Technology Initiative Shift2Rail, within the “Other Promoters” category. At the beginning of 2015, they joined the Railenium Association, focused on the Railway Pole in the Lille area. In June 2015 they created the international consortium SwiTrack'En. In December 2015 they approved the selection to be Associate Members of Shift2Rail. They are currently beneficiaries of two European projects, in which they collaborate closely with other European organizations, under the leadership of Trafikverket (In2Track project) and Network Rail (In2track-2 project).

The internationalization of the group includes that Ernesto G. Vadillo has been a member of the Permanent Advisory Group of the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) since 2013, the European Railway Technology Platform that advises the EC on this matter. Likewise, in 2013 that IP has carried out Advisory work to the European Parliament as an expert for “The Fourth Railway Package”, Part II, “Railway interoperability, safety and new responsibilities for the European Railway Agency”.

For the Structural optimization research group, Ph.D. candidates will have the opportunity to make abroad stages in foreign universities. Ph.D. candidates are encouraged to participate in international optimization courses offered by different European Universities, as well as, international research projects. The group has a close research relationship with the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. There, Ph.D. candidates and Ph.Ds. will be able to continue their researches under the guidance of high quality professionals.