Yorkshire-based Flood Technology Group has been awarded £14,000 in grant funding from Innovate UK to conduct further research into its award-winning flood adaptive technology.
Part of UK Research and Innovation (the UK’s innovation agency), Innovate UK’s role is to help UK businesses grow through the development and commercialisation of new products, processes and services. The grant awarded to Flood Technology Group will be used to fund in-depth research into the environmental impact of its Flood Adaptive Platform over its entire lifespan, as well as the socio-economic benefits it could bring to flood-prone areas of the country.
Simon Gilliland, Chief Executive of Flood Technology Group, explained: “Based on the research we’ve already commissioned, the greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing, operating and maintaining our Flood Adaptive Platform are significantly lower than those from comparable methods of flood risk mitigation. We want to take our research a step further by examining the environmental impact of our technology over its entire lifespan, as well as exploring the socio-economic benefits that it’s capable of delivering here in the UK.
“For example, through our current work with the UK holiday park sector, we’ve become aware that around 20,000 caravan pitches are currently not used due to flood risk. In some parts of the country, planning policy places occupancy restrictions on caravans and holiday lodges due to the increased risk of flooding during the winter months. This means that flood risk is adversely impacting the local economy of these of areas to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds each year, when you factor in pitch rentals, visitor spend and local supply chain contributions.
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“We believe that our unique flood adaptive technology has enormous potential to address some of these issues and we’re very grateful to Innovate UK for providing us with funding to conduct more research into this area.”
The research will be conducted by National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, which is what’s known as a Research and Technology Organisation (RTO). RTOs are specialised, not-for-profit knowledge organisations dedicated to the development and transfer of science and technology to the benefit of the economy and society.
Patrick O’Neill of National Manufacturing Institute Scotland said: “Our team at NMIS is pleased to be working with the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures to develop an assessment of the environmental and social benefits of the flood adaptive technology.
“We are enthused by the opportunity to develop our understanding of this unique product, as it tackles a clear and significant challenge facing the affected areas. The avoidance of damage caused by flooding is expected to offer substantial social benefits from a variety of perspectives, as well as minimising the need for replacement and repair of the impacted homes, resulting in a reduced environmental impact.
“Here at NMIS, we are excited to work with this inspiring UK-based SME, which is developing innovative solutions to deliver real positive impact to communities. The work we do with SMEs and their contributions towards sustainability across industries is important to us at NMIS, and we are keen to see that our support of the Flood Technology Group paves the way for further advancements in their efforts as they grow.”
Flood Technology Group has already successfully applied its award-winning Flood Adaptive Platform to modular buildings and mobile homes, highlighting its ability to protect people and their property from the threat of flooding. It works seamlessly with FloodAdapt, a flood early warning system provided by Flood Technology Group that can be customised to any site owner’s specific requirements, providing highly accurate updates as a flood event unfolds to support the timely and safe evacuation of people.
Working in conjunction with the University of Liverpool, Flood Technology Group is also continuing to explore how its Flood Adaptive Platform’s ability to cope with a variety of global environmental hazards, ranging from flooding to hurricanes and earthquakes.