Risk & resilience of infrastructure networks

The UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC) is a consortium of seven universities that has since 2010 been developing advanced methodology for analysis of infrastructure systems. First developed for the National Infrastructure Commission in the UK, the NISMOD national infrastructure systems model has now been applied in several settings around the world, including Argentina, Tanzania, Vietnam and Curacao, Brazil, the Netherlands, and New Zealand for long-term infrastructure planning and infrastructure resilience assessment.

The ITRC’s Risk & Resilience team, based at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) in the  University of Oxford, created novel research on infrastructure network risk analysis that is recognized worldwide. Throughout the world, we work on providing quantified insights into the current and future performance of interdependent infrastructure networks. These insights provide the basis for prioritizing steps to enhance the resilience of infrastructure systems. We analyse natural hazard and climate risks as well as man-made risks in order to understand the potential economic and social disruption caused by infrastructure failures. That evidence then helps to build the business case for a strategic approach to adaptation. We are experts in the analysis of uncertainty, using probabilistic risk analysis as well as ‘deep uncertainty’ methods, which means that we can identify and test proportionate and robust adaptation strategies.

We are a team with high levels of technical expertise producing innovative solutions to complex problems. We combine cutting edge theoretical expertise derived from one of the world’s leading research programmes on infrastructure systems, with a pragmatic and ingenious approach to solving the data challenges that beset infrastructure systems analysis around the world. We collaborate with a variety of partners in government, industry, research and the third sector, we are committed to the long term use of infrastructure systems analysis in an open source environment.