Research and analysis

Flood and coastal erosion risk management areas of research interest  

Published 8 May 2024

Applies to England and Wales

This document describes the areas of research interest to 2028 for the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) research and development programme.  

We are a collaboration between Defra, the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, and Welsh Government. We work on behalf of all risk management authorities in England and Wales. 

Our research activities support flood and coastal erosion risk management in England and Wales. We fund research that we produce ourselves and in partnership with others. We engage with partners in academia, industry, and across government who have shared interests in research and development. 

What are areas of research interest? 

Areas of research interest are: 

• lists of pressing research issues and outcomes we need to achieve  

• a way for us to express to others where we want to collate existing research in certain topics 

How do we use the areas of research interest? 

We use the areas of research interest to concentrate our effort where research is needed most and to determine the research activity we do. We also use them to engage with the research community, industry partners and government. We connect people who have the operational problems with researchers who have solutions. 

Use the areas of research interest form if you want to tell us how your work relates, or if you want to hear from us when we are starting new research activity. 

If you want to request our support for a research partnership follow our instructions on how to apply for research support 

Areas of research interest to 2028 

These are the areas of research interest to 2028, grouped into eight topics. 

1. Understanding future flood and coastal erosion risk 

We need to better understand the probability and impact of flooding and coastal erosion today, tomorrow and to the year 2100.  

Our research activities will support us to: 

1.1 – understand how flooding mechanisms will change and improve projections of extreme flooding conditions in rivers, surface water, coasts and estuaries 

1.2 - understand the effects of coastal, estuarine and river morphology on flood and coastal erosion risk 

1.3 - account for uncertainty in risk management decision-making 

1.4 - develop national flood and coastal erosion risk assessments and maps for England and Wales 

2. Resilience and adaptation to flooding and coastal change 

Our research needs to help people plan for, better protect, respond to, and recover from flooding, as well as coastal change.  

Our research activities will support us to:  

2.1 - understand behavioural, societal, and organisational changes which might be needed for England and Wales to adapt and be resilient to flooding and coastal change 

2.2 - measure flood and coastal resilience   

2.3 - work with communities to make decisions together and take action to build resilience and adapt   

2.4 - understand the options to adapt our coasts  

2.5 - use a balance of different interventions that create resilience to flooding and coastal change  

3. Funding and investment 

We aim to attract innovative new sources of funding and finance for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England and Wales. We also want to make sure that our investments have multiple benefits and are fit for the future.  

Our research activities will support us to:  

3.1 - better understand the economic benefits of different interventions and use the evidence for investment decisions 

3.2 - maximise funding through alternative finance options   

3.3 - optimise decision-making by considering long-term investment scenarios  

3.4 - have consistent methods to evaluate how new interventions are designed and implemented, and the outcomes they achieve 

3.5 - optimise how we invest in flood and coastal erosion risk management assets   

4. Flood incident management 

Research can improve how risk management authorities prepare for and respond to flood incidents in England and Wales.  

Our research activities will support us to:  

4.1 - understand the effect of flood and coastal risks on incident response and recovery so responders and communities can better communicate, prepare for, and act on risks 

4.2 - consider what assistance vulnerable groups may require to prepare for and respond to flood incidents   

4.3 - provide evidence to improve how communities recover from flooding  

5. Asset management 

Flood and coastal erosion risk management assets can be any natural or man-made structure or feature, such as walls, buildings, earth embankments, shingle banks or raised areas of land. We need to understand how they can be best designed and operated. 

Our research activities will support us to:  

5.1 - make assets safe and reliable through design and operation accounting for a changing climate 

5.2 - understand how assets perform in extreme situations (asset resilience), and be able to measure performance over time  

5.3 – improve how we consider assets as part of an infrastructure system that has multiple benefits for society and the environment  

5.4 - improve reliability in monitoring approaches to support the way flood and coastal risk assets are maintained 

6. Digital technology 

New and emerging digital technologies can help us to better understand and respond to flooding and coastal erosion and provide new opportunities to manage flooding and coastal erosion.  

Our research activities will support us to:  

6.1 - use new digital technologies to improve skills and efficiencies  

6.2 - explore how we can use virtual models (digital twins) to accurately reflect flood and coastal processes and inform decision making 

6.3 – introduce geospatial systems and new flood and coastal erosion monitoring techniques 

7. Net zero and sustainability 

Managing flooding and coastal erosion supports government targets for UK emissions to reach net zero by 2050, mitigate any environmental loss, and enhance natural capital.  

Our research activities will support us to: 

7.1 – embed environmental and biodiversity improvements in flood and coastal risk management 

7.2 – support how flood and coastal erosion risk management assets are designed and managed in a way that achieves net zero targets 

7.3 - limit emissions through the whole life cycle of flood and coastal risk assets from design to decommission  

8. Integrated outcomes 

Flood and coastal erosion risk management is inter-disciplinary and can provide multiple and integrated outcomes for society, the economy and the environment.  

Our research activities will support us to:  

8.1 - solve existing and emerging environmental issues using solutions from different disciplines  

8.2 - use nature-based solutions that reduce flooding and coastal erosion and provide benefits for people and the environment   

8.3 - understand the effects of flooding and coastal change on rural places to improve resilience 

8.4 - understand and improve how social equity and health impacts are considered when managing flood and coastal risks 

You can tell us how your work relates to these areas of research interest, by completing the areas of research interest form 

You can tell us about research projects, programmes and networks that can help address the areas of research interest.  

You can also tell us if you would like to hear from us when we start new research activity in any of the areas of research interest. 

We use the details you provide to share progress updates, concentrate how we use our research funding, and link the research community with industry partners and government. 

Thank you for supporting the FCERM research and development programme.