Outputs

Insight

Insight: Preparing for an Unknown Future - The Net Zero Skills Challenge

PoliticsHome sat down with experts from UKCRIC to learn more about the Net Zero skills challenge

Insight

Insight: Re-thinking our coastal towns and cities

In a major contribution to the nation’s Net Zero 2050 targets, coastal areas generate more renewable energy than the national average.

Insight

Insight: Research must be part of the mix if NISTA and the 10-year infrastructure strategy are to be successful

In July 2024 the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC) convened civil engineers, regulators and academics to debate the challenges associated with delivering smart and resilient national infrastructure

Insight

Insight: Place-based solutions for low carbon heating infrastructure in the UK

Decarbonising heating is essential to meeting the UK’s climate goals, but it presents unique challenges.

Insight

Insight: Shaping the nation’s transport future through a whole-systems approach

Transport is the lifeblood that sustains economies and connects communities to jobs and leisure.

Data-driven solutions Project Spotlight Underground infrastructure

Project Spotlight: Assessing the Underworld (ATU)

Assessing the Underworld (ATU) was an ambitious 10-year research programme

Report Underground infrastructure Connected publications

Report: US-UK Workshop on Transformation in Urban Underground Infrastructure

In September 2023 a pivotal transatlantic two-day workshop explored the state of the art in urban underground infrastruc

Connected publications Data-driven solutions

Connected - Advanced optical technologies for a sustainable built environment

How advances in photonics could have a transformative impact on the sustainable built environment

Project Spotlight Theory of change

The International Centre for Infrastructure Futures (ICIF)

The International Centre for Infrastructure Futures (ICIF) was a three-year project involving a consortium of researchers from six UK universities – UCL, Southampton, Bristol, Sussex, Cranfield and Brighton.

Underground infrastructure Insight

Insight: Underground Resources for a Sustainable Global Future

Our world has changed in many ways, over the past decade in particular. The drivers for change includes our evolving comprehension of the finiteness of the carrying capacity of the earth.

Project Spotlight Place-based studies and urban observatories

Investigating the repurposing of London Clay for landscaping projects

UKCRIC institutes the University of Birmingham and Heriot-Watt University have collaborated with HS2, in a project to demonstrate that excavated London Clay can be used as a growing medium for landscaping and remediation.

Insight Underground infrastructure

Insight: Underground infrastructure in the time of a climate crisis. What can we do to help?

The most pressing challenge facing humanity is the climate crisis. How can we ensure that everyone has the ability to live comfortable and meaningful lives, while preventing further damage to the planet and atmosphere, and also starting to reverse negative impacts?

Insight Net zero Connected publications

Connected - COP28 and The First Global Stocktake: Personal Reflections on an Affirmational, Inspirational and Disappointing Experience and an Opportunity Missed

In the first of UKCRIC's new 'Connected' publications Dr Tom Dolan authors an in depth thought piece on COP28 and The First Global Stocktake

Project Spotlight Data-driven solutions

Project Spotlight: Automating Scope 3 environmental assessment in small-scale construction projects

PorthouseDean, specialists in providing superior structural calculations for the small-scale residential market in the UK, partnered with UKCRIC Limited to develop a bespoke software with an Application Programming Interface (API) to measure the environmental implications of construction projects.

Insight

Lord Robert Mair invites Professor Emeritus Gordon Masterton to reflect on his distinguished engineering career

Following his recent retirement, Emeritus Professor at the University of Edinburgh and former UKCRIC Deputy Convenor, Professor Gordon Masterton, joins Lord Robert Mair, chair of UKCRIC’s International Advisory Board, to reflect on his distinguished engineering career

Insight Net zero

Insight: Mission Zero - Why the Skidmore Review can kickstart the nation’s journey to net zero

The publication of Mission Zero, the independent review into net zero by Chris Skidmore MP, provides a roadmap for the UK to deliver on its net zero ambition. But is it a roadmap that policymakers and others will follow? PoliticsHome sat down with academics from UKCRIC to find out why they believe the recently published Review is an opportunity the nation cannot afford to miss.

Insight

Insight: RAAC to Basics: Putting Maintenance at the Heart of Infrastructure

Concerns about concrete in public buildings hit the headlines ahead of the new school year. PoliticsHome sat down with a panel of academic experts from UKCRIC to explore the challenge of maintaining the nation’s buildings and infrastructure and to find out what lessons we can learn.

Project Spotlight Place-based studies and urban observatories

Project Spotlight: Exploring public perceptions and support for green infrastructure funding mechanisms

A study led by researchers at Cranfield University and the University of Leeds, and funded by UKCRIC, investigated the extent to which residents of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc support alternative green infrastructure funding mechanisms and where they believe these sources should come from.

Insight Underground infrastructure

Insight: Dealing with the Complexity of the Underworld, part 2

Understanding the value of the subsurface

Insight Underground infrastructure

Insight: Dealing with the Complexity of the Underworld, part 1

Understanding the value of the subsurface

Project Spotlight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Project Spotlight: Ensuring UK water sources are safe from contaminants

Researchers at Cranfield University’s Water Science Institute are conducting research to determine how different treatment processes can remove a range of potentially harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) compounds in drinking water.

Insight

Insight: What are thriving urban spaces? Reflections from the City Development Forum, Poznań, Poland

In mid-October this year (2023) I had the pleasure of visiting Poland’s former capital Poznań.

Insight Underground infrastructure

Insight: A Systems-of-Systems Approach to Underground Infrastructure

The Infrastructure that enables all aspects of life in modern societies and economies is a deeply interdependent system of systems

Strategy

Strategy: UKCRIC Roadmap - a vision for the future

The UKCRIC Roadmap is the primary output arising from a twelve-month programme of work and was reliant on the contributions of multiple partners and stakeholders.

Resilient infrastructure and urban systems Insight

Insight: Sustainable smart cities - building links with Malaysia

In February the Department for International Trade (as was) invited UKCRIC to join its ‘Sustainable Smart City’ delegation to Malaysia

Project Spotlight Theory of change

Project Spotlight: Liveable Cities

Liveable Cities was a 5-year research programme, funded by EPSRC, to identify and test radical engineering solutions

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Futurebuild 2023

UKCRIC's Executive Manager, Dr Joanne Leach reflects on Futurebuild 2023 and the work of Professor Bani Anvari of UCL, following an invitation to host a seminar on ‘making infrastructure improve human wellbeing’.

Insight Net zero

Insight: Personal reflection on COP27 – Where do we go from here?

After 27 years of COP, it appears global society is not on track to achieve the 1.5° C target agreed at COP21

Project Spotlight Data-driven solutions

Project Spotlight: Is Demand Responsive Transport integrated with parcel delivery a viable future?

A pilot study led by researchers at Heriot Watt University and funded by UKCRIC has shown that carbon reduction and financial cost savings can be achieved by combining mobility, such as a demand response bus service, with parcel delivery.

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Rethinking infrastructure for our health and wellbeing

At PEARL (Personal Environment Activity Research Laboratory) we ask fundamental research questions to help ensure that infrastructure is fit for purpose for future generations who are going to be using it.

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Reflections from ISNGI 2022

After three years in the planning, the twice postponed, and long overdue, seventh symposium in the International Symposium for Next Generation Infrastructure series, ISNGI 2022 took place on the 7th September in the Netherlands at the Rotterdam World Trade Centre.

Project Spotlight Theory of change

Project Spotlight: Establishing a Competencies Framework for Infrastructure Policy Professionals

Researchers in UCL's Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy have recently published a report from their UKCRIC funded project - Establishing a Competencies Framework for Infrastructure Policy Professionals.

Project Spotlight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Project Spotlight: PLEXUS PLUS - first pseudo-static experimental test on integral abutments at the UKCRIC Soil-Foundation-Structure-Interaction Laboratory (SoFSI) of the University of Bristol

The UKCRIC project PLEXUS PLUS has been the first experimental campaign in the UKCRIC Soil-Foundation-Structure-Interaction Laboratory (SoFSI) lab.

Project Spotlight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems Data-driven solutions

Project spotlight: Developing a universal, physics-based model to predict the susceptibility of fine sediment to erosion

Researchers at Cranfield University are using UKCRIC research infrastructure to support the development of new mechanistic models of fine sediment erodibility for application to engineering and water quality problems.

Project Spotlight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems Data-driven solutions

Project spotlight: Building digital twins of social systems

University of Leeds has put DAFNI hardware funds to innovative use in digital twin computer simulations

Project Spotlight Data-driven solutions

Project spotlight: A digital twin for roads

On 24 February 2022, the International Road Federation, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the University of Nottingham, and the University of Manchester presented a webinar with the theme “A digital twin for roads: A combined physics and data-driven approach to predict roads deterioration”.

Project Spotlight Data-driven solutions Place-based studies and urban observatories

Project spotlight: Towards a national digital twin for urban transport

A collaboration between the UKCRIC Urban Observatories of Newcastle, Birmingham and Manchester, the Alan Turing Institute and the Department for Transport (DfT) is demonstrating the potential of a science-led digital twin approach to decarbonising transport, and standardising this approach on a national scale.

Insight Net zero

Insight: Addressing the Climate Emergent(cy)

A systemic role for National Infrastructure

Insight Net zero

Insight: COP26 - Inspirational Heartbreak

Personal reflection on an inspirational, holistic and uplifting event with an underwhelming outcome

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems Place-based studies and urban observatories

Insight: Supporting Delivery of Government Priorities and the National Infrastructure Strategy

UKCRIC's systemic approach is essential to de-risking the UK’s planned £600Bn 10-year investment in infrastructure

Project Spotlight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Project spotlight: Exploring the trilemma of integral bridges

The PLEXUS research project explored the benefits of integral bridges and how they might provide other services.

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Systemically Resilient National Infrastructure

Dr Dolan explains how National Infrastructure cannot effectively fulfil its purpose unless it is systemically resilient

Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Transforming construction – a move to whole-life value

Liam Winder makes the case for taking a whole-life approach to infrastructure

Insight Data-driven solutions

Insight: Infrastructure data insights for a sustainable and resilient future

If our industry is going to build a sustainable future, we must continue to bring leading-edge solutions into practice

Insight

Insight: Data-driven decision-making for smart sustainability

'Collaborative action will be crucial to securing the changes required to reach net zero by 2050'

Report Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Report: Rethinking infrastructure and cities for a Covid-19 world: A UKCRIC prospectus

UKCRIC sets out its approach to managing the impacts of the pandemic as it relates to infrastructure and cities research

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Successful remote team working mirrors challenges of transdisciplinary working

Remote working is hard, and most of us are only now realising just how hard

Report Net zero

Report: UKCRIC contributes to new report that shows the route to a zero carbon future

A zero carbon future is possible: this new report shows us the way

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Developing a prospectus for infrastructure and cities research for a COVID-19 world

Outcomes of our webinar held on 21 May

Insight

Insight: Systemically Resilient Prosperity: Adapting to and learning from COVID-19 (and other strategic challenges)

COVID-19 provides us with an opportunity to learn about resilience

Report

Report: UKCRIC-relevant articles and opportunities

UKCRIC-relevant links from across the infrastructure landscape

Strategy Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Strategy: Infrastructure and cities for a COVID-19 world

How will the world change after COVID-19 and how can we make the new normal work for our society?

Strategy

Strategy: Mobilising the UKCRIC community around propositions for research and practice

We are now developing “Propositions” as integrating structures alongside our Missions

Report Theory of change

Report: The Little Book of THEORY OF CHANGE for Infrastructure and Cities

UKCRIC's guidance on implementing significant infrastructure changes

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Successful cities rely on resilient infrastructure

Dr Tom Dolan discusses the importance of resilience in infrastructure

Strategy Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Strategy: ICE introduces the UKCRIC Research Collaboration

Institution of Civil Engineers talks to William Powrie, UKCRIC Convenor about UKCRIC and its mission

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Why research integration matters

Transdisciplinary approaches have real potential to advance infrastructure research

Report Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Report: House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee publish report on Our Planet, Our Health

Report published on 3rd September 2019

Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Role of economic infrastructure in limiting global warming

There is a critical need to take action and change the way we invest in infrastructure mitigation and resilience.

Insight Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Insight: Doing water differently: how NSW is setting a standard for the world to follow

Perhaps the UK has something to learn from NSW in their approach to water resources management

Insight Place-based studies and urban observatories

Insight: Turning a city into a lab

The role of observation in tackling urban challenges

Policy Resilient infrastructure and urban systems

Policy: UKCRIC response to the ICE policy statement ‘What should be in the National Infrastructure Strategy?’

UKCRIC Deputy Convenor Brian Collins responds to the latest ICE policy statement

Insight Data-driven solutions

Insight: Smart sustainability - changing the way we use data and information to engineer tomorrow’s world

Leveraging the full value from data can help increase the productivity of infrastructure.