The grant is to look at the redevelopment of the River Don floodplain in South Yorkshire, to create a place where people can live and work safely, now and in the future.
The green light for the project has been welcomed by the Environment Agency as "great news", providing a substantial body of research which will "make a vital contribution to learning from the recent flooding events".
The project entitled 'Urban River Corridors and Sustainable Living Agendas' (URSULA) will be led by the Catchment Science Centre and is headed by Prof. David Lerner.