Irwell Catchment Partnership Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
Duration: End of May 2027
Background
Drawing on its experience in community engagement and partnership working, Groundwork Greater Manchester became host organisation for the Irwell Catchment Partnership in 2012.
The partnership follows Defra’s Catchment Based Approach initiative and brings together public bodies, universities, charities and water companies to support integrated water management.
Fantastic achievements have been made by the partnership coming together and a vast amount of data and evidence has been gathered, many of which has been stored on the Irwell Catchment Story Map.
However with limited resource, Groundwork and the Irwell Catchment Partners needed support in improving its ability to manage and interpret data, measure and monitor progress towards nature restoration, and effectively utilise evidence generated to significantly enhance the health of the Irwell Catchment’s water bodies by 2050.
Goals of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a project that will help the Irwell Catchment Partnership make better use of the data they’ve collected. The goal is to bridge key gaps in how the partnership analyses and interprets this data, so they can make evidence-based decisions that lead to real environmental improvements.
The KTP will:
- Support the partnership in gathering and interpreting scientific evidence to improve decision-making processes.
- Help develop a data-led catchment plan for tackling water quality issues within the Greater Manchester catchment area.
Expected outcomes
- Catalogue of Data: Understand and organise the data held by Groundwork and the Irwell Catchment Partnership, creating a clear inventory of available resources.
- Catchment management review: Assess current practices and identify new, creative ways to address environmental challenges affecting the Irwell Catchment’s waterways.
- Improved Catchment Plan: Develop an evidence-driven catchment plan to guide decision-making, while also creating a pipeline of projects that will help improve the financial sustainability of the Irwell Catchment Partnership.
- New Research: Generate new research that shows how effective current management interventions are and explore new methods that can be shared with other water management projects.
For more information on the KTP, please contact Dominique Wilson, Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate:
This Knowledge Transfer Partnership has been made possible thanks to funding from Innovate UK and the support of the Irwell Catchment Partners.
