The Conference on Societal Resilience
This in-person conference will provide a vital networking forum bringing together partners from policy and practice from across UK+, to share insights, learn together with likeminded colleagues, and identify collaborative opportunities on how to enhance societal resilience.
- Event Time
- 9 Mar 11:00 - 10 Mar 16:00
- Event Location
- The University of Manchester
The Conference on Societal Resilience will take place over two days on March 9th and 10th 2027 at the Whitworth Hall, The University of Manchester.
This conference is organised by the National Consortium for Societal Resilience [UK+] (NCSR+).
Our 5th conference will continue the national and international conversation on societal resilience to disruption, addressing the theme: whole-system resilience: societal resilience to climate, conflict and food insecurities.
Conference programme
Our two-day conference programme is being finalised and brings together leading policymakers, practitioners, and resilience experts from multiple sectors as speakers and panellists.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Gregory Yeoman, Community Resilience and Data Officer, Surrey Local Resilience Forum
- Ciara O’Hanlon, Resilience Manager, Northern Ireland Local Government Civil Contingencies
- Emma Barrett, Professor of Psychology, Security and Trust, The University of Manchester
- Anna Pashley, Corporate Partnerships Manager, Charity Retail Association
- Martin Parham, Lecturer in Disaster Management, The University of Manchester
Further speaker details and the conference programme will be shared in the coming weeks.
Who should attend?
The conference is aimed at all those who have an interest in strategising and working collaboratively to enhance societal resilience.
The conference will focus on the contributions of:
- government, including local resilience partnerships across the UK (Local Resilience Forums, Regional/Local Resilience Partnerships, Emergency Preparedness Groups)
- voluntary and community, including local groups, faith-based organisations, national charities, and social enterprises
- business, including utilities, corporate programmes, and resilience advisors working in communities
For further information, read the conference FAQs.
Building on the successes of 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026
The 4th National Conference in February 2026 welcomed over 200 participants and continued the national conversation on societal resilience to disruption. We collectively addressed the conference theme of "Society in Resilience: Young people, families, and civil society".
The conference included facilitated table discussions centred on Operation Water Outage as an exercise in civil society resilience to disruption. To read insights from these discussions, and more, check out The National Briefing on Societal Resilience [UK+] - Issue 57.
Watch some of the highlights from the 2026 conference centred on our young persons forum:
Watch this video to hear resilience practitioners share their perspectives on the conference and the impact of NCSR+:
Getting to Whitworth Hall and staying in Manchester
The conference venue is close to the city centre and easily accessible by bus, car or on foot.
Find out more about more about getting to Whitworth Hall and preferential rates on nearby hotels.
About the National Consortium for Societal Resilience [UK+]
The NCSR+ was established 'to enhance the UK[+] whole-of-society approach to resilience, so that individuals, groups, organisations, and networks can all play a meaningful part in building the resilience of our society'. The consortium is co-chaired by Alliance Manchester Business School, Suffolk Resilience Forum and Sussex Resilience Forum. Membership of the consortium includes almost all local authorities in the UK along with key resilience partners.