Background

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the Bank of England, are undertaking a market exploration to develop an understanding of capabilities that currently exist or innovative ideas which could potentially be considered for innovative security features for banknotes. This is a market exploration only and we therefore do not commit to subsequently launch a formal Open Call Innovation Focus Area (IFA) or any other competition.

The challenge

Public confidence in currency is directly related to the ability of the user to accurately and quickly authenticate a banknote. Banknotes employ a range of overt features – such as holographic foils or optically variable coloured inks – to aid public or retailer authentication. The Bank of England is now looking ahead and inviting ideas to develop novel, security features and print technologies for consideration for potential use in future generations of banknotes.

These technologies should be:

• difficult to counterfeit or simulate
• easy and intuitive to use for the public
• easy to communicate
• durable
• compatible with high volume printing techniques; representing good value for money with a high production yield
• suitable for integration into a banknote design

What we want

We are interested in innovative capabilities and ideas that aim to address the above, at any level of maturity. Submissions should be provided by teams with the experience and knowledge necessary to establish sound scientific evidence for any potential technology / intervention.

What we don’t want

We are not interested in receiving ideas for literature reviews, plans for paper-based studies or marginal improvements to existing capabilities. Security technologies in the family of holographic foils, lenticular lens features or optically variable inks will also not be considered.

Innovation outline

If you wish to respond, please submit an innovation outline here. You will be required to create an account on our Enterprise Collaboration Service. Once registered, please click start now and then select the Open Call for Innovation from the competitions tab. You must then click ‘Innovation Outline – referral to an Innovation Partner (Closing 31/03/2020)’ where you will be directed to begin your submission.

Please only provide details of one product / capability per innovation outline. If you have a number of potential solutions then please submit multiple forms. This is not a competition and therefore we are not asking for fully costed proposals at this stage, draft financials are suitable.

Please note that the link above will take you to DASA’s standard platform for submission of proposals and that the website contains guidance, forms and information relating to the process involved when submitting proposals for competitions that DASA is running. Your submission of an innovation outline is strictly made under the remit of market exploration and therefore shall not create an obligation on DASA, the Bank of England, the wider UK Government or you to enter into any business relationship; or for DASA to subsequently launch a formal IFA or competition. Your innovation outline, however, may be used to help us shape the requirements of future work and help us identify your interests and capabilities in this area.

If you have any questions then please email accelerator@dstl.gov.uk with “Bank of England” in the subject line.

How we use your information

Information you provide to us in an innovation outline, that is not already available to us from other sources, will be handled in-confidence. By submitting an innovation outline you are giving us, the Defence and Security Accelerator and the Bank of England, permission to keep and use the information for our internal purposes, and to provide the information onwards, in-confidence, within UK Government. The Defence and Security Accelerator and the Bank of England will not use or disclose the information for any other purpose, without first requesting permission to do so.

Please note this market exploration will close on Monday 7 October 2019 at midday.

More than 3,000 young people will be given places at sport and activity programmes this summer to help keep them away from possible violence and crime, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright announced today.

Sport England will provide £400,000 of National Lottery funding to 49 projects in London, the North West, West Midlands and Yorkshire.

These include programmes that will offer coaching and mentoring training for young people who are at risk.

This summer’s scheme follows the Prime Minister’s knife crime summit held at the start of April at which government and sporting bodies agreed to work together on the issue.

Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said:

Sport is a powerful tool that can play an important role in turning young people away from crime and violence.

This scheme will reach thousands of young people in the most at risk areas and give them coaching, skills, and opportunities to thrive. I am confident that this programme will deliver real change and have a lasting impact on the participants and their communities.

Chief Executive at Sport England, Tim Hollingsworth, said:

We’ve only started to uncover sport’s potential as a tool to engage young people at risk of being involved in knife crime. Our insight shows that regularly active children and young people are not only happier and healthier, they are more resilient and feel a closer connection to their peers and communities.

That’s why we are pleased to be engaged to support community organisations with National Lottery funding to connect with young people in knife crime hotspots where interventions are needed most. The projects will offer a range of sport and activities involving mentoring and coaching sessions to reduce the risk of being involved in serious violence and boost the number of young people experiencing the massive benefits of getting active.

Successful projects include Haringey Sports Development Trust, in London, which will increase its midnight basketball sessions from two nights to five nights a week for three months. These sessions aim to give young people a positive activity at times when they could be drawn into violence.

All the successful projects will receive a copy of the Home Office’s #knifefree campaign Partner Pack which includes information on the campaign, along with links to where they can download the campaign resources. The campaign aims to reduce knife crime by changing the attitudes and behaviours of young people aged between 10 and 21-year olds. It aims to increase awareness about positive alternatives to knife crime and work towards changing the false perceptions that knife carrying is widespread and makes you safer.

As part of the ongoing commitment from sports bodies to support young people in serious violence hotspots, The Premier League has also confirmed they will be expanding their flagship community programme Premier League Kicks. This uses the power of football and the value of sports participation to help youngsters in some of the most high-need areas.

Bill Bush, Premier League Executive Director, said:

The Premier League and our clubs are committed to complementing the work of Government, the Police and Sport England in supporting young people and being a positive influence in their lives. Work is underway to enhance our already successful Premier League Kicks programme, with over 90 Premier League and English Football League clubs able to apply to deliver projects in hundreds of high need areas across the country. Using their ability to regularly engage and build trusted relationships, the programme aims to inspire children and young people to achieve their potential and improve their wellbeing; working together to build stronger, safer and more inclusive communities.

ENDS

Notes to editors

• 3,242 young people will be able to benefit from the sporting programme through the summer investments. Sport England is funding 49 projects across England: 18 in London, 12 in the North West, 6 in the West Midlands and 13 in Yorkshire.
• More information on Premier League Kicks can be found here
• The Government will evaluate the summer programme to develop a longer-term strategy to improve the offer across several different stages; early intervention, custodial support and probation. This strategy will be informed by data collated over the summer about the effectiveness of the projects.

Susan Hoyle has been appointed as a Lay Commissioner from 1 August 2019 to 31 July 2022.

Sue has held a number of senior executive and non-executive roles, mainly in the arts, including Deputy Secretary-General of Arts Council England, Trustee of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation and member of its Learning and Participation Committee, and Director of Clore Leadership. Sue is the Committee Chair of Wellcome’s Public Engagement Fellowships (Health Research); and a Member of the Selection Committee, Longwood Fellows Program USA (Horticulture). As an independent consultant, she undertakes research, evaluation, executive search and programme design, specialising in cultural leadership and professional development.

The JAC is an independent body that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with UK-wide jurisdiction. Candidates are selected on merit, through fair and open competition.

JAC Commissioners are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor.

Appointments and re-appointments to the JAC are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. These appointments have been made in line with the Commissioner’s Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said:

“The Governments of France, Germany, Spain and the UK strongly condemn the demolition by Israel of Palestinian buildings in the district of Wadi al Hummus, in the South East of Jerusalem.”

“We remain seriously concerned by the continued demolition of Palestinian property by Israeli authorities. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolition in occupied territories is contrary to International Humanitarian Law and to UNSC resolutions. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process.”

“In this specific case, the demolitions were particularly egregious as a number of the buildings were located in Areas A and B, under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority according to the Oslo Agreements, and thus constitute a violation of these agreements. They set a dangerous precedent that directly jeopardises the two state solution.”

On 10 January 2019, News UK submitted an application to vary certain conditions put in place in 1981 by the then Secretary of State for Trade. The changes proposed by News UK would allow The Times and The Sunday Times to share journalistic resources, subject to the agreement of each newspaper’s editor.

Having considered News UK’s application and representations made following an Invitation to Comment issued by DCMS on 17 January, I announced, in a Written Ministerial Statement dated 11 April, that I was minded to accept News UK’s application to vary the 1981 conditions. However, in considering the proposed new undertakings as a whole, I also noted that the existing governance arrangements lacked clarity and certainty over roles and responsibilities. Following discussions between News UK and Officials, News UK submitted revised undertakings which substantially meet my concerns.

On 27 June, as required by legislation, I issued a further consultation notice seeking views on the changes to News UK’s revised undertakings. Two responses were received. Neither response raised any issues that would warrant me seeking further modifications to the Undertakings from News UK. Accordingly, I have today formally decided to accept the new Undertakings and have today issued a Notice of Acceptance. A copy of the Notice of Acceptance with the final signed undertakings and the revised articles of association of Times Newspapers Ltd (TNL) and Times Newspapers Holding Ltd (TNHL) will be published on the Government website. My Department will shortly publish in the Issues Note circulated to News UK prior to the discussions with Officials.

The new undertakings creates an explicit requirement for the CMA and the Secretary of State to monitor the effectiveness of the obligations placed on News UK and the TNHL Independent National Directors (INDs). As part of this, I can confirm that in line with the Government’s commitments on the handling of media merger cases, that DCMS will publish a non-confidential version of the reports from the TNHL INDs which have to be submitted to DCMS and the CMA annually.