Innovation in flood risk management (FRM) is a driver for change. Research, however, is sparse in this area, and innovation itself appears to be left largely to chance. This paper uses a ’systems of innovation’ approach, defining ’avenues’ of innovation, to explore factors that promote or inhibit innovation. The research is based on in‐depth interviews with 10 leading figures in FRM in the United Kingdom, and describes the interactions and iterations involved. We conclude that in terms of practice the encouragement of champions should be enhanced, risk cultures require concerted attention to minimise risk aversion, learning should be facilitated, and innovation scaled up to maximise its effectiveness. We aim also to add to the literature on innovation systems, providing a case study of a complex field previously unexplored in this regard. Detailed innovation‐encouraging processes here need to be better understood and FRM policies and practices adjusted accordingly.

中文翻译：

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洪水风险管理中的创新：“创新之路”分析

洪水风险管理（FRM）的创新是变革的动力。但是，该领域的研究很少，而创新本身似乎在很大程度上还留有机会。本文使用“创新系统”方法定义了创新的“途径”，以探索促进或抑制创新的因素。该研究基于对英国FRM的10位主要人物的深入访谈，并描述了其中的相互作用和迭代。我们的结论是，在实践中，应该加强对拥护者的鼓励，风险文化需要共同关注，以最大程度地减少风险规避，应该促进学习，并扩大创新规模，以最大程度地发挥其作用。我们还旨在增加有关创新系统的文献，提供以前在这方面尚未探索的复杂领域的案例研究。