The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Infrastructure & Resilience II (WIRe II) builds upon the highly successful collaboration between three of the UK's centres of excellence in water research (Cranfield, Sheffield and Newcastle Universities). One of the foundations of a thriving civic community and economy is having secure, resilient and sustainable water resources and services that: (i) provide affordable and equitable access to water; (ii) deliver a safe drinking water supply; (iii) provide wastewater services that don't pollute the environment; (iv) ensure there is enough water to meet the increasing demands from multiple sectors; and (v) are net beneficial to the environment, while protecting critical infrastructure from the impacts of climate change. This is placed against a backdrop of increased levels of dissatisfaction and higher expectations from civic communities on their water services, multiple demands on water resources and adaptations required from the impacts of climate change. With the UK population expected to grow from 69 million to 79 million by 2050, water resources have never been under as much pressure. Recent assessments have shown that only 14% of English rivers have good ecological status and no river has good chemical status. Water companies have also been placed under significant public examination from recent well-publicised pollution incidents from storm overflows and restrictions in water, with expectations that the UK will need to save 4billion litres of water per day by 2050. A collaborative and interdisciplinary approach is therefore essential for securing more resilient and sustainable water systems. There is also an urgent demand for improved water management as we move into a more sustainable world - the requirement for suitably skilled specialists with the appropriate interdisciplinary skills has never been higher. In developing the case for WIRe II, we have brought together an important group of civic partners, including the water utilities (with representation from all nations of the UK, covering water and wastewater services for 90% of the UKs population), organisations from the energy sector working on net zero technologies that have significant water demand and/or wastewater streams, regulators and civic groups, consultancies who work across the water-energy nexus, and partnerships with UKCRIC and DAFNI for access to world leading facilities. The CDT will be a significant contributor to addressing a clear skills gap identified by our partners and provide a future blueprint for enhanced training in the sector. We urgently need research to understand whole water systems (catchment, treatment and distribution processes) to achieve stable, safe water delivery to customers and the return of water back to the environment for multiple beneficial purposes. Such complexity requires inter- and trans-disciplinary research and a critical mass of experts and outputs. Three interconnected research themes will be addressed in WIRe II that align with key civic priorities: Safe and sustainable water resources for all; A resource neutral water sector; and Adapting to climate change. The WIRe II training programme has been developed with our partners to ensure we develop talent with the skills, competencies, and creativeness required to meet the changing demands of the sector. Built around the principles of deep vertical and horizontal integration of cohorts, students will progress through the CDT by undertaking a common induction semester, an assessed taught programme, an inspiring transferable skills curriculum and an annual Summer Challenge, alongside opportunities for national and international placements. We have evolved the programme to deliver the transformative science needed to tackle the rapidly changing demands and challenges being faced across our water systems and to develop the future leaders in the water and allied sectors.

ResAnth addresses the interlinked risks of climate change, coastal flooding and erosion, and the UK's historic waste legacy for coastal community and ecosystem resilience. Coastal flooding and erosion will accelerate under climate change. Our past industrialisation has left a pollution legacy of over 1,700 historic coastal landfills and 3,000 hectares of contaminated land also at risk from coastal flooding and/or erosion (CCC 2018; POST 2021). By 2100 the number of people exposed to coastal floods and erosion, and therefore legacy coastal waste, will increase significantly and almost half legacy waste sites are within 100m of environmentally sensitive areas such as protected wetlands or bathing waters (Brand et al. 2018). Many sites are already eroding, releasing pollution, plastics, asbestos and/or medical waste into our coastal environments with limited understanding of pollution risk to people or the marine environment. Without intervention one in 10 could erode by 2055. Many UK coastal landfills are at increasing future risk e.g., at Lyme Regis, the Spittles Lane landfill contains 50,000 tonnes of waste on an eroding cliff top and will "almost certainly erode" releasing material to the beach without intervention (Nichols et al. 2020). How we manage the intergenerational burden of our past coastal waste disposal and its accelerated risk to society and ecosystems in a changing climate is a "burning imperative" (Environment Agency 2022). In a "call to arms", coastal Local Authorities have identified the enormity of this problem with almost 50% reporting waste sites eroding, or 'at risk'. Yet we do not have sufficient evidence to: 1) build robust business cases to manage (by defending, remediating or 'letting alone') these sites; 2) inform sustainable coastal management decision-making (Shoreline Management Plans) that takes account of the presence of waste; and 3) engage and support those communities who will live with these decisions. Working in 3 'at-risk' UK geographic areas we will: Investigate the risk of waste and pollution release under more severe flooding and coastal erosion scenarios. Assess the harm this pollution will do to coastal environments and adjacent communities. Increase collaboration between a range of stakeholders to understand the different kinds of environmental and social challenges involved. Facilitate inclusive debate on future efforts to manage these risks using established methods and arts-based activities to reach new audiences. Work with communities and policy makers to explore and co-develop policy options and practical actions that will build resilience, and identify potential co-benefits for people and place. Ensure the project's approach, methods and key findings for coastal resilience measures can be scaled across the UK. Assessing the range of risks associated with coastal waste release and building an inclusive and practical 'toolkit' of responses will benefit: 1) organisations who manage the coast, conserve and protect people and habitats; and 2) landowners and communities who use and appreciate the coastal environment for its amenities and cultural value. We have designed a novel 'Community Atlas' to share information, conclusions, and arts outputs with these groups, and that allows citizens to upload their own information and stories about coastal change. ResAnth has been co-conceived with our Project Partners through collaboration, in particular, with; 1) Environment Agency, local authorities, and coastal partnerships to identify research needs; 2) the Climate Change Committee and Policy Connect to understand policy gaps; and 3) engagement with communities through arts-science initiatives.