Flood Hazard Research Centre

Flood Hazard Research Centre
Name	Flood Hazard Research Centre
Formation	1990s
Headquarters	London
Region served	United Kingdom; international
Leader title	Director
Parent organisation	Middlesex University

Flood Hazard Research Centre

The Flood Hazard Research Centre is an applied research institute based in London, affiliated with Middlesex University, conducting interdisciplinary studies on fluvial flooding, coastal flood risk, floodplain management, urban drainage, and climate impacts. It engages with policymakers, emergency services, conservation bodies, engineering firms, and community groups to translate scientific findings into practice across the United Kingdom, Europe, and international development contexts.

History

The Centre was established amid heightened public concern following floods such as the 1994–95 United Kingdom floods, the 1993 Midwest floods, and global events like Hurricane Katrina, reflecting influences from institutions including Middlesex University, Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and University College London. Early collaborations connected the Centre with organizations such as the Environment Agency (England and Wales), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and the Natural Environment Research Council. Its development paralleled policy milestones including the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, the European Floods Directive, and conventions like the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Key influences included research programs at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and the Joint Research Centre (European Commission). Over time the Centre contributed to responses to crises including the 2007 United Kingdom floods and the 2013–14 United Kingdom winter floods.

Mission and Research Focus

The Centre's mission emphasizes risk assessment, resilience, adaptation, and stakeholder engagement, interfacing with entities such as United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, World Bank, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, European Commission, and national agencies. Research themes include hydrology, hydraulics, socio-economic vulnerability, nature-based solutions, and infrastructure resilience, with technical methods informed by work at Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, British Geological Survey, Met Office, Rothamsted Research, and National Oceanography Centre. Projects integrate approaches from Royal Society-supported science, standards from British Standards Institution, and guidance from Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management.

Organizational Structure and Governance

Governance combines academic leadership, advisory boards, and external stakeholders, reflecting models used at Middlesex University, University of Leeds, University of Manchester, University of Bristol, and University of Birmingham. The Centre collaborates with professional bodies including the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Royal Town Planning Institute, and the Royal Society of Chemistry for cross-disciplinary oversight. Funding and oversight draw on grant sources such as Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and philanthropic partners like the Wellcome Trust.

Major Projects and Contributions

The Centre has led and contributed to major studies on flood mapping, community resilience, and cost-benefit analysis, joining consortia with UK Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, Interreg, and the European Research Council. Notable outputs informed planning inquiries and government reviews after events like Storm Desmond and Operation Flood Relief (2014), and influenced technical guidance used by Scottish Flood Forum, National Flood Forum, Local Government Association, and emergency services such as London Fire Brigade and Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The Centre developed methodologies compatible with modelling platforms from HR Wallingford, Atkins, CH2M Hill, and open-source tools promoted by OpenStreetMap communities.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Partners include universities such as University of Southampton, Newcastle University, Cardiff University, University of Exeter, and international partners including University of New South Wales, University of Melbourne, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and National University of Singapore. Institutional collaborations extend to United Nations Development Programme, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Red Cross, World Wildlife Fund, and NGOs like Oxfam and Save the Children. The Centre engages with private sector partners including AECOM, Mott MacDonald, Jacobs Engineering Group, Royal HaskoningDHV, and insurers like Lloyd's of London and Aviva.

Facilities and Resources

The Centre draws on laboratory, computational, and field resources linked to facilities such as the Flood Hazard Research Centre Laboratory, coworking with the National Hydrology Research Centre, the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, and computing resources from ARCHER (supercomputer) and UK Met Office supercomputer. Fieldwork leverages partnerships with organizations maintaining gauging networks like the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and flood observatories including Copernicus Emergency Management Service and remote-sensing collaborations with European Space Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Impact and Policy Influence

Outputs have shaped guidance and policy instruments used by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency (England and Wales), Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland Executive, and informed international frameworks including the Paris Agreement adaptation discussions and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction implementation. Findings contributed to revisions of standards used by Institution of Civil Engineers and planning reforms overseen by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Centre's research has been cited in inquiries, parliamentary briefings in the House of Commons and House of Lords, and practice changes among municipal authorities such as Greater London Authority and county councils across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Category:Flood control Category:Research institutes in London Category:Middlesex University