Improving the implementation and adoption of flood and coastal defence R&D results

The Defra and Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Defence research and delivery programme - a plan to improve practice.

Documents

Improving the implementation and adoption of flood and coastal defence R&D results - final report (588 KB) PDF

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Details

The independent Advisory Committee on Flood and Coastal Defence Research and Development commissioned a report which looked into how to improve our programme.

Conclusions

The report concluded that we should spend more of our funds making sure that the results of our research and development projects are put into practice, rather than on the research itself.

It also recommended that we should:

  • combine the research and development activities from Defra and the Environment Agency into a joint programme
  • take a more active and tailored approach
  • focus on user needs
  • make sure that we deliver the intended benefits of the research and delivery projects
  • develop a national flood and coastal defence training programme
  • spend more on uptake of the results of R&D projects - this will help to bring about a culture change
  • make sure there’s more training and CPD within stakeholders’ organisations

MAFF and the Agency should therefore adopt a much more proactive approach and all stakeholders should make a collective effort to make these changes as part of a continuous learning and improvement process.

Updates to this page

Published 12 February 2021