Shenzhen, China 3rd – 5th July 2017
Under the Researcher Links scheme offered within the British Council’s Newton Fund, we will be holding a workshop on “Urban Flooding and Sponge Cities” in Shenzhen, China on 3rd – 5th July 2017.
The workshop is being coordinated by Professor Dragan Savić FREng, Professor Guangtao Fu, and Dr Albert Chen at the University of Exeter, UK and Chinese partners Professor Yuntao Guan and Professor Haifeng Jia, Tsinghua University and Professor Huapeng Qin, Peking University. We are now inviting Early Career Researchers from the UK to apply to attend this workshop. All expenses related to travel, accommodation and meals will be covered by the Newton Researcher Links programme. The application form should be sent to Dr Fanlin Meng () for UK participants before the deadline of 1st April 2017.
Background
Urban flooding has become a global problem due to urbanisation, climate change and aging and insufficient infrastructure. While sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) have been developed in the UK for several decades, the concept of “Sponge Cities” has been developed most recently and advocated as a new way of solving China’s urban flooding problems, which have become more severe due to rapid urbanisation and population growth. The fast development of cities poses scientific, technical and policy challenges in sustainable urban water management. Thus there is a critical need to exchange the latest research outcomes in the UK and China.
This workshop will provide a platform for researchers, urban planners and engineers to discuss the critical issues and main challenges, share the latest research outcomes, and demonstrate the best practices in flood risk management and Sponge City development. It will focus on flood simulation and risk assessment tools, new and emerging metrics, and frameworks that can be used for design, planning and assessment of Sponge Cities. Specifically, the workshop will focus on the following themes: (1) conceptual and theoretical developments; (2) quantitative assessment and system modelling tools; and (3) strategy development methodologies for sustainable water management in urban areas with particular emphasis on flood risk management.
The workshop will provide UK and China participants with a unique opportunity for sharing research expertise and networking. During the workshop early career researchers will have the opportunity to present their research in the form of a short oral presentation and discuss this with established researchers from the UK and China. There will be a focus on building links for future collaboration and participants will be selected on the basis of their research potential and ability to build longer term links.
The British Council and Newton Researcher Links will cover the costs related to participation in the workshop, including: economy class travel (both international and local), accommodation and meals. Costs for the visa will be covered; however participants will be responsible for making all the necessary arrangements. Although the cost of travel and medical insurance will not be covered by the British Council, participants are encouraged to purchase suitable insurance. The British Council accepts no responsibility for any problems which may occur when the participants are in-country.
Location and Date
The date for the workshop is 3rd – 5th July 2017 at the Tsinghua Graduate School at Shenzhen, XiLi University Town, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China.
A submitted application will be taken to indicate participant availability for these dates and their commitment to attend if selected. Please be advised that attendance for the full three-day workshop is mandatory.
Application and Deadline
The full application form must be completed and submitted by 1st April 2017 and sent to Dr Fanlin Meng at .
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications must be submitted using the Researcher Links application form.
- Participants must be Early Career Researchers (ECR): An ECR is defined as holding a PhD (or having equivalent research experience) and having up to 10 years post-PhD research experience.
- Participants must have a research or academic position (either a permanent post, research contract, or fellowship etc.) at a recognised research institution in the UK.
Quality Assessment
- Professional experience and relevance of the applicant’s research area to the workshop.
- Motivation and level of potential contribution to the aims of the workshop.
- Description of the long term personal and professional impact expected through the participation in the workshop.
- Ability to disseminate workshop’s outcomes to their peers.
- Eligibility check.
Notification of results
Applicants will be notified by email one month of the application deadline.
Equal Opportunities
The British Council is committed to equal opportunities and diversity in all its activities and this includes the avoidance of any bias in the assessment of applications due to gender, disability, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, or religious belief. Participants’ selection undertaken by workshop organisers must not contravene this policy. Extra support to enable participation of early career researchers with special needs will be given.
Please see the link below for detail on British Council policies that relate to your work- adherence to these policies are British Council Requirementshttp://www.britishcouncil.org/new/about-us/jobs/folder_jobs/register-as-a-consultant/policies-for-consultants-and-associates/ . Please refer to brand guidelines as directed by the British Council office in the country where you will be delivering your workshop.
Contacts
For general enquiries concerning this call, please email:
Dr Fanlin Meng
Email: