The study groups provide an outstanding way for us to engage with the academic community. The key is that the study groups engage a wide range of individuals who actively work on a problem. As a result of this approach we can gain much deeper insights than we could by working alone, or even by holding a workshop. By the end of a study group we have usually made real progress in our understanding. That could mean identifying that a particular solution is a dead end. It could mean that we have an actual working solution. Or it could mean that we have scoped out useful future research, so we can focus our efforts in the areas will it make the most difference.

Adam Baylis (Environment Agency)