Natural Flood Management online course – Starting Wednesday 12 May and running for 5 weeks
The Flood Innovation Centre is offering an exciting opportunity to book onto an interactive workshop programme designed to help Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) expand their business in the growing Natural Flood Management (NFM) market.
Natural Flood Management (NFM) makes use of natural environmental processes to store excess water, slow the flow of water downstream to towns and cities and improve water quality. Recognition is growing that a holistic approach to flood risk management is necessary, with investment in ‘natural’ flood management schemes, rather than solely relying on traditional ‘hard’ flood defences.
The UK Government has plans to invest £1billion per year in flood defences over the next five years.
We want to support SMEs to move into the fast-growing flood risk management sector. We have created this online workshop series to bring businesses together with project commissioning organisations; stakeholders; experts in designing, building and maintaining natural flood management schemes; and potential partners for collaborative working.
Natural flood management schemes can be at the scale of individual properties (e.g. farms) or at the scale of entire river systems. At each level, there is a need for businesses to design, plan, implement and maintain schemes. Our stakeholders, including the Environment Agency, local authorities, Woodland Trust, NFU, Forestry Commission and National Trust report that there is currently room for growth in businesses operating within the Humber Region with the knowledge and expertise to secure and deliver on NFM tender projects.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grow your business in the Natural Flood Management market.
Our specialist courses are fully funded (so there’s no cost to your business) and they’re delivered online.
When and where
You’ll hear from a wide range of industry experts across 5 x three-hour online sessions from 9.30am – 12.30pm weekly starting Wednesday 12 May.
Why attend?
Understand the range of opportunities in NFM
Build expertise in order to access these opportunities
Network directly with commissioning organisations
What’s covered?
Each workshop will be a lively mixture of information, case studies, exercises, discussions and opportunities to ‘Meet the Client’. Sessions will be themed as follows:
Weds 12th May Workshop 1: Natural Flood Management – An opportunity for businesses
Schedule for Workshop 1
Featuring Jenny Barlow & Matt Hodkin of the Environment Agency:
The scale of the opportunity in Yorkshire & the Humber
Weds 19th May Workshop 2: Slowing the flow – upland water retention
Schedule for Workshop 2
Featuring James LePage of Defra:
Funding streams for NFM (including an introduction to Countryside Stewardship / ELMS)
Weds 26th May Workshop 3: Protecting property – diverting flow around towns and villages
Schedule for Workshop 3
Featuring Granville Davies of Yorkshire Water:
Yorkshire Water’s Clean Water and Catchment Strategy
And Adam Jordan of Hull City Council in a ‘meet the client’ session
Weds 2nd June Workshop 4: Turn back the tide – natural management alongside estuaries and coasts
Schedule for Workshop 4
Featuring Prof Dan Parsons of the Energy & Environment Institute, University of Hull:
Natural flood management in low-lying areas, such as the Humber
And a practical exercise on designing an NFM intervention, led by Dr Chun Keat Yew, Technology Research Manager, Flood Innovation Centre
Weds 9th June Workshop 5: Leading the way – developing new products and services in NFM
Schedule for Workshop 5
Featuring Simon Green CEO of ed/ge:
Commercial development – building a business case around an idea
And Nick Devitt, Senior Design Associate, ed/ge and Rural Design Centre:
Commercial development exercise (Business Model Canvas)
Who should attend?
Principally, small and medium-sized businesses looking to expand into natural flood management work, including:
- Drainage & grounds maintenance contractors;
- Designers/planners responsible for developing schemes across wider areas;
- Farmers and land managers looking to understand the opportunities open to them to access funding for flood management interventions;
- Agents who advise land managers;
- Application writers and advisors on accessing funding;
- Anyone who has an interest in the NFM market, especially in the Humber area.
The first step is to register your interest by completing an enquiry form.
Terms & Conditions apply: We ask those interested to ensure they’re available to attend at least 4 of the 5 sessions in order to complete the course. Once you’ve applied, our team will contact you to let you know if you’re eligible and what the process will be to enrol on the course.