Annual Report 2023-24

Each year, we reflect on our charitable activities and share the highlights in our Trustees’ Annual Report.

In 2023-24, we continued to extend our reach through new and established partnerships, supporting a growing network of educators, researchers, and practitioners who use our resources to enhance understanding of climate risks, the water cycle, and resilience.

We remain committed to enabling high-quality research and specialist training by providing technical expertise, funding, and opportunities for early-career researchers and practitioners to develop their skills in applied science and risk management.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having an influence in every walk of life. The interpretation and transparency of those models matters. Building on insights from our 10th anniversary review in 2022, we have been supporting research into the “explainability” of AI models in decision-making. Using large language models (LLMs) for coding, data analysis and natural language processing also enabled us to improve the accessibility of complex datasets about historical flood events.

With AI technology and usage evolving rapidly, we also contributed to research into the fundamental behaviour of LLMs. This work will continue as we explore how emerging AI tools can be responsibly and effectively integrated into scientific and technical applications.

Rob Lamb, Director of JBA Trust, commented,

“We’re grateful for the continued support of our partners, including funding from the JBA Group of companies, enabling us to focus on sharing knowledge to help build resilience in the face of climate-related risks.”