How University Flood Innovation Centre is helping SMEs across Humber region
HOW University Flood Innovation Centre is helping SMEs across Humber region
Over 400 businesses have so far engaged with the University of Hull’s Flood Innovation Centre.
The centre, established in April 2019 to build on the University’s expertise in flood resilience, works with SMEs across the Humber to innovate new solutions to the challenges posed by flooding.
Pip Betts, Project Manager at the centre, said: “At the University of Hull, we have a wealth of expertise and experience surrounding flooding and flood resilience.
“We launched the Flood Innovation Centre over a year ago, to help bring this expertise to SMEs working across the Humber region.
“It is widely-known that the Humber region is one of the most at-risk areas to flooding in the UK – we hope our Flood Innovation Centre will help put small businesses across both banks of the estuary in the driving seat in building resilience against one of the area’s greatest threats.”
The Flood Innovation Centre brings the University of Hull’s world-class research in climate change, flood, engineering, logistics, materials and computer science to Humber-based SMEs. The Centre is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Whether it’s an existing product or a completely new approach to flood resilience, the centre can help SMEs through a range of tailor-made Innovation Support Packages worth up to £20,000.
Nick Granger, Managing Director at HFR Solutions, said: “HFR Solutions are delighted to be once again collaborating with University of Hull.
“We are developing an innovative approach to the devastating effects of flood and the impact it has on communities at a regional and national level.”
Bill Blackledge, Director at East Yorkshire-based 2B Landscape Consultancy, said: “We want to be the designers people turn to when they need Sustainable Drainage or Natural Flood Management solutions. Partnership with the experts at the Flood Innovation Centre will help to make that a reality.”
For more information on the FIC, visit floodinnovation.co.uk
