At World Water Day this year (22nd March 2023), the Hydro Nation Energy Innovation Programme (HNEIP) officially launched. Check out the World Water Day video here: https://youtu.be/v8dFM7-ZQhc
The HNEIP is a new four-year programme funded by the Scottish Government that will coordinate a wide range of academic expertise to support Scotland’s water industry to develop innovative new products and approaches to help drive down emissions.
On World Water Day Scotland joined the global water community on March 22nd World Water Day with a hybrid event on the theme of ‘Accelerating Change through Partnerships and Cooperation.
In September 2022, CREW attended the Leading Ideas Hub at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, a two-day event organised by SEFARI Gateway. The event brought together a range of professionals to share ideas and advice on best knowledge exchange practice. It was a great opportunity to meet other scientists, policy advisors and stakeholders to explore methods, best practice and innovation in knowledge exchange.
On World Water Day 2023, CREW opened its Register of Expertise for those working in the water sector. Funded by RESAS, Scottish Government, this digital platform will be a valuable tool to access knowledge on ‘who does what’, connecting opportunities for research and innovation with capability and building a network of expertise from academia, industry, regulation and policy.
In February 2023, CREW attended the two-day Flood Risk Management Conference hosted by Sniffer in Perth. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Water Resilient Places’ both from a policy and on the ground actions perspective. The hybrid conference included attendees from local and national government, research and higher education institutes, as well as relevant experts from consultancies.
The Scottish Government Hydro Nation Strategy is committed to making Scotland a 'Hydro Nation' where water resources are developed to bring the maximum benefit to the Scottish economy.
Beavers are well known for their ability to transform the environment through dam building and other activities. This CREW report, based on evidence from 120 studies of beaver populations worldwide, provides an evidence review of the role of beavers in modifying physical processes, and the potential benefits they may bring for Scottish rivers, streams and water resources. Beavers could make important contributions to improving the condition of Scotland’s rivers, helping to improve water supply and quality as well as creating habitat, sequestering carbon and restoring rivers.
CREW’S partnership with Scottish Canals supports transformation of these amazing assets, promoting sustainable growth, and access to opportunities for health and well-being. Crucially Scotland’s canal network offers solutions to climate change impacts such as managing surface water and sustainable transport routes.