In 2008, ex-Vice President Scott Steedman wrote a briefing paper on how the Institution of Civil Engineers had restructured its learned society activities.
The objective was to strengthen ICE’s position as the leading source of expert civil engineering knowledge for practitioners, industry and society. This briefing paper looks at the challenges that have been overcome, as well as the achievements and driving forces behind this new way of working.
ICE’s vision was that the new Learned Society would become the vibrant heart of the Institutions’ activity. Under the direction of current Vice President Barry Clarke, this vision is becoming a reality. There have been changes to the Learned Society function as well as the setting up of a Learned Society Working Group, set up to look at continuous improvement in the creation and dissemination of knowledge to ICE members.
In addition, the Faculty Team within the Engineering Policy and Innovation (EPI) Division underwent a restructure in November 2009, which resulted in the creation of two teams. Firstly the Associated Societies Team, whose main remit is to administer and cater for the 13 Associated Societies, and secondly the Innovation Team, who work alongside ICE’s 15 Expert Panels. These are sector specific committees which devise, implement and drive projects that advance national competitiveness, innovation and sustainability.
Expert Panels are still asked to demonstrate high quality outputs in five areas; Best Practice, Capacity Building, Network and Events, Policy and Research and Innovation. Successful projects have included:
- A Global Water Security Report addressing water security as a global issue and considering the situation of the UK in that context
- A research report focusing on incorporating principles of sustainable development within the design and delivery of major projects
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The Clients Best Practice Guide; guidance to clients on the many ways in which they can positively influence the success of their projects from planning through to final decommissioning
- • The Manual of Health and Safety in Construction; a handbook which used real-life situations to provide practical references for practising engineers and technicians, as well as a comprehensive overview of the topic for students.
ICE also achieved success with its Marine Structures and Breakwaters conference in 2009. Over 400 delegates attended the lectures and exhibitions which included a key note address from Jim Mather MSP Minister for Enterprise, Energy, and Tourism, Scottish Government. The proceedings were published in two volumes by ICE Publishing.
‘Lifed’ Panels, finite committees set up to address specific multidisciplinary problems, continue to be successful. A Nuclear Steering Group, consisting of experts from the nuclear and construction industries, with representation from each engineering institution, was formed to consider lessons learned from past nuclear builds. A report was commissioned and funded by ICE and the Office for Nuclear Development (OND) and published in October.
An output for early 2011 will be an electronic competency framework; a post-accreditation, self-assessment which details the competencies the ICE believes well-rounded professional practitioners should work to develop. This will be hosted on ICE’s website as a freely available resource to members.
Infrastructure is increasingly being seen by Government as key priority area, especially with the Comprehensive Spending Review and National Infrastructure Plan setting out both challenges and opportunities for the civil engineering industry. The Learned Society – along with the Innovation and Policy Teams - intends to continue this momentum buy ensuring it helps shape the direction of future work and highlight the importance of a long-term vision for infrastructure.
Member’s thoughts, opinions, advice and knowledge are vital in order for the Learned Society to progress its work in the right direction and for members to have their say as the voice of the Institution. The Innovation Team are looking at ways of engaging more members in its work by creating and disseminating information via the new ICE website and online communities.
The Learned Society is looking at the urgent issues of the day and raising awareness of what engineering can deliver over the short, medium and long term. It hopes to build on recent successes by focussing in the correct areas, working in a streamlined way and communicating simplified but strong messages through its work.
For further information on any of the highlighted pieces of work, please contact Alison Brown, Innovation Manager on alison.brown@ice.org.uk 020 7665 2231.