Climate change serious threat :
Climate change is affecting countries in the 2 Seas area faster and to a greater extent than previously expected. The rising sea level is a serious threat to the countries in this region, especially, since it is not known exactly how strong the flood defences are and how well emergency response is organised in practice. Most emergency response plans and scenarios are based on theoretical models. Also, there is a shortage of well-trained water managers and a lack of embedded knowledge transfer and societal awareness. The crossing border Polder2C’s project addresses these issues combining research and practice in a unique way.  
 

Hedwige-Prospolder Living Lab :
Thirteen partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom have joined forces in the Polder2C’s project. Together, they aim to improve the 2 Seas regions’ capacity to adapt to the challenges caused by climate change. Polder2C’s offers a unique approach in the development of flood resilience measures. Depoldering of Hedwige- and Prosperpolder offers a 6 km2 Living Lab environment, where current and innovative techniques, processes, methods and products can be tested for practical validation. A new demand-driven approach is used where strategic, tactical and operational demands from stakeholders are the starting point. 
 

Flood Defense, Emergency Response and Knowledge Infrastructure :
The Polder2C’s programme focuses on three main areas: 

• Flood Defense - do research on the strength of flood defenses 

• Emergency Response - design new and better emergency response plans 

• Knowledge Infrastructure - formalise knowledge transfer and educate the next generation of water managers 

INTERREG 2 SEAS Mers Zeeën :

This project has received funding from the Interreg 2 Seas programme 2014-2020 co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund under subsidy contract No [2S07-023]. 

Contact :

If you have any questions about the Polder2C’s project, please contact us at lille@isl.fr

Partners of Polder2C’s Programme :

A total of thirteen partners are involved in the Interreg 2 Seas programme 2014-2020 subsidy application: Department of Mobility and Public Works/Flanders Hydraulics Research and Catholic University Leuven (KU Leuven) from Belgium, Environment Agency and South West Water from England, Cerema, ISL Engineering and University of Lille from France and Delft University of Technology, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water management (RWS), Province of Zeeland, HZ University Of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Defence and the Foundation of Applied Water Research (STOWA) from the Netherlands.