Atkins has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to launch a new strategic innovation initiative to help protect some of Britain’s most important national infrastructure from environmental hazards.
| L-R Duncan Wingham and Geoff Darch |
The five-year, £5 million Environmental Risks to Infrastructure Innovation Programme (ERIIP) will give decision-makers in areas such as energy, transport and water improved access to NERC’s world-class environmental science.
This will help them to manage risks to Britain’s infrastructure system from environmental hazards such as extreme weather, flooding and landslips, while also creating new opportunities for growth.
The investment will help to underpin the Governments’ National Infrastructure Plan, and emphasises NERC’s commitment to working in partnership to unlock the societal and economic potential of its science.
The programme will comprise several projects designed to translate existing NERC science and expertise into a form that is useful to the infrastructure sector as a whole.
It will have a broad membership of organisations which will help define the main environmental challenges facing the UK’s infrastructure. Programme members can also contribute funding to individual projects themselves.
Earlier this year, NERC ran a pilot scheme to test the sector’s appetite for its science. It attracted strong interest, with 57 bids for funding.
The programme was launched at an event in London attended by initial signatories ARUP, Atkins, EDF Energy, the Environment Agency, HR Wallingford and National Grid.
Geoff Darch, principal consultant, Atkins, said: “We’ve seen on many occasions how disruptive the natural world can be to the infrastructure people rely on to go about their daily lives. Providing infrastructure owners with a better understanding of the risks and techniques to adapt, will help them plan, prioritise and invest in the most effective measures for today and the long-term. We are confident that the combination of our infrastructure experts and NERC’s environmental scientists can play an important role in helping make our infrastructure more resilient and sustainable for the benefit of everyone.”
Duncan Wingham, chief executive professor at NERC, said: “Last winter the UK’s infrastructure was severely tested by a prolonged period of severe weather. The resulting floods and disruption to the rail network serve to underline the need to build resilience into our national infrastructure, and it’s clear that NERC has an important role to play in providing the information and expertise required to do so.
“This new innovation programme will help the infrastructure sector to make full use of NERC’s science in this area.”
Dr Ian Glover, environmental sustainability manager at National Grid, said: “Our core business is about connecting people to the energy they need. As we operate, maintain and build new infrastructure for our changing energy needs, we particularly need to consider the environmental risks. This programme will help ensure we have access to the science we need to respond to those risks.”
Richard Ploszek, interdependencies lead at HM Treasury’s Infrastructure UK, said: “This five-year innovation programme is very welcome from our perspective. It provides a focal point for an ongoing dialogue about the relationship between infrastructure and the environment. Ensuring good access to good environmental science is key to making sure we include the environment in our definition of what makes good infrastructure.”