CRUE - FP6

Basic Information

Description

The management of flood risk is a critical component of public safety and quality of life. Historically, EU Member and Associated States have promoted their own research to improve the understanding and management of flood risks with no formal coordination between national programmes. The CRUE ERA-NET will introduce, for the first time, structure within this area of European research through an inter-comparison of the process of research programme formulation, implementation and management. This will lead to the consolidation and promotion of best practice and the identification of gaps and opportunities for international collaboration on future programme content. CRUE will also address the pressing need to improve the dissemination of existing research results to derive public benefit from past investment in the generation of knowledge and understanding. An early action in the CRUE is to encourage participation in the Network from other Member States which commission research on flood risk management. The topic area for this structuring activity lies within the Global Change and Ecosystems priority area of FP6 and covers one facet of achieving Sustainable Development. Structuring the European research on this topic should facilitate technologies and strategies for sustainable flood mitigation and defence, recognising the complex interaction between natural bio-physical systems and socio-economic systems, to support spatial and policy planning in the context of global change and societal advance. The vision for the CRUE ERA-NET action on flooding is to develop strategic integration of research at the national funding and policy development levels within Europe to provide knowledge and understanding for the sustainable management of flooding risks at the river basin and coastal process cell scale.