About the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste
About us
The Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW) is an exciting new venture at the University of Exeter. CREWW has been established to undertake research into some of the most pressing environmental challenges in our time - namely how we can manage our precious natural resources in ways which are sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change and population growth.
CREWW research focuses on pressing issues facing the water and waste sectors, including:
- How to protect drinking water supplies from pollution
- The safe treatment and disposal of waste water (including issues such as micro-plastics and anti-microbial resistance)
- Ensuring we have enough water to cope with a growing population and climate change
- Protecting the water supply network
- Predicting and preventing pollution from the waste water network
- Understanding how catchments respond to flooding and drought, to improve future resilience.
CREWW research is undertaken by academics from disciplines including Geography, Biosciences, Engineering, Economics and Psychology, who work with partners in industry, government and NGOs, to develop a shared understanding of the issue.
Professor Richard Brazier, the University of Exeter CREWW Co-Director explains here why the centre is unique, its aims and aspirations.
The Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW) was established thanks to a grant from Research England and investment by South West Water.
Combined with investment from the University of Exeter, we are creating a new, purpose built centre on North Park Road on the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus.
Construction on the new centre started in January 2022 and we expect the facility to be complete by spring 2023.
The centre will contain specialist laboratory facilities for water, waste, soil and vegetation analysis and space to facilitate collaboration between industry, policy makers and our academics. CREWW will also accommodate new, state of the art field monitoring equipment which we will use to improve our understanding of the interactions between the water sector and the natural environment. This is vital if we are to make informed, sustainable choices about how we manage water supplies in the future.
CREWW will support existing research excellence by providing facilities which will:
- Contribute to research that is part of delivering the Industrial Strategy and Defra’s 25 year Environmental Plan
- Strengthen transdisciplinary research by bringing researchers from across academic disciplines
- Enhance strategic research partnerships by providing collaboration and training facilities where industry staff can work with our own researchers.
To find out more about the progress of the construction project, visit our website.
Our background
The Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW) was established thanks to a grant from Research England and co-investment by South West Water and the University of Exeter.
We are a new, purpose built centre on North Park Road on the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus. The centre contains specialist laboratory facilities for water, waste, soil and vegetation analysis and space to facilitate collaboration between industry, policy makers and our academics. CREWW also accommodates new, state of the art field monitoring equipment which we will use to improve our understanding of the interactions between the water sector and the natural environment. This is vital if we are to make informed, sustainable choices about how we manage water supplies in the future.
CREWW will support existing research excellence by providing facilities which will:
- Contribute to research that is part of delivering the Industrial Strategy and Defra’s 25 year Environmental Plan
- Strengthen transdisciplinary research by bringing researchers from across academic disciplines
- Enhance strategic research partnerships by providing collaboration and training facilities where industry staff can work with our own researchers.
To find out more about the construction of the CREWW building, visit our website.