The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has £150,000 for organisations that use crowdsourcing to expand existing sources of exam questions, reduce costs and improve quality.

The competition will be run through the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), which helps public sector bodies connect with innovative businesses to solve specific challenges.

An expanded bank of quality questions

As Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body, the CCEA offers a range of qualifications including GCSEs, A and AS levels, entry-level qualifications and vocational qualifications.

Traditionally, exam questions have been set by teachers working in their own schools or as part of assessment teams. Now, the CCEA wants to develop a new set of reliable and verifiable questions through crowdsourcing.

The aim is to expand the question banks available to schools and colleges, and keep costs under control without compromising on quality.

Testing the feasibility and demonstrating a prototype

This competition is looking for projects that can demonstrate how crowdsourcing could attract a broader base of high-quality questions.

The competition will be run in 2 phases. The first phase will ask applicants to demonstrate the technical feasibility and commercial viability of their idea.

Projects that are successful in this first phase will be invited to apply into a second phase to develop and evaluate their prototypes.

Competition information

• applications are open, and the deadline to apply is 3pm on 17 September 2018
• the competition is open to any organisation. You’ll need to register as a supplier on eTendersNI in order to apply. Once registered, you’ll be able to view the tender documentation
• you can attend an information session about the competition in Belfast at 11am on 4 September 2018
• shortlisted organisations will be invited to interview in Belfast the week commencing 24 September 2018

The UK Minister for the UN, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon will use a speech at the UN Security Council on Tuesday 28 August to call on the international community to increase financial support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

The UK calls for international action on accountability and support for Rohingya refugees

The UK calls for international action on accountability and support for Rohingya refugees

Lord Ahmad will also argue that much more needs to be done in Burma, where significant changes, such as unfettered and effective access for the UN, are needed to end the current crisis. He will also call for the perpetrators of the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya to be brought to justice.

UN Refugee Agency Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett will also address the Security Council on the anniversary of the escalation of the Rohingya crisis. She will meet Lord Ahmad and UK Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce to talk about how the UK and the UN can galvanise international action to end the crisis and help refugees return to their homes.

Minister for the UN, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

The UK is playing a leading role in bringing an end to this crisis. We need an international political consensus to bring the appalling humanitarian situation to an end.

Bangladesh has done more than its fair share to help the refugees. Now it’s the turn of other countries to step up, and provide the money that will help support both refugees and the communities that support them, and for international partners to act together to ensure justice for the victims of the crisis.

The Security Council meeting comes at a crucial time, with the monsoon and cyclone season increasing the threat of landslides, contaminated water and disease.

The UK is one of the largest donors to the refugee crisis in Bangladesh. The UK has provided £129m to support the nearly 1m Rohingya people in Bangladesh, including the 700,000 who have fled Burma since August last year.

UK support for Rohingya crisis

UK support for Rohingya crisis

While in New York, Lord Ahmad will also chair a UN Security Council debate on mediation with briefings by the UN Secretary-General and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby. The Council will discuss their support for mediation efforts and the role of mediation in preventing, managing and resolving conflicts.

Further information

Thank you, Mr President, for your welcome and thank you for hosting me and my delegates here today. It’s a pleasure to see you again after your very good visit to London in April.

This is my first time in South Africa, indeed my first visit to Africa as Prime Minister. I’m delighted to be beginning my trip here with you in Cape Town, where of course Nelson Mandela gave his first speech after walking free from prison, standing with you on the balcony of City Hall 28 years ago.

I was honoured today to handover to you and to the people of South Africa the ship’s bell from the SS Mendi, and to commemorate the troops who lost their lives when the ship sank in the English Channel over a century ago, on their way to join the Allied Forces on the Western Front. And we will be forever grateful for their sacrifice in a common cause.

The historical links between us are hugely important. But our partnership today should be based on more.

The UK and South Africa enjoy a broad and forward-looking relationship, and we have committed today to reinvigorating it for the future.

Trade and Investment

We want to build on the strong foundation of our economic relationship to ensure the prosperity and security of our people.

The UK is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners – with our trade worth over £9 billion last year.

And we have agreed that – as the UK prepares to leave the EU – we must think about how to grow that trade in the future.

So today, as we’ve just witnessed, we have signed a Joint Statement with South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini to ensure the provisions of the region’s current trade deal with the EU continue after this agreement no longer applies to the United Kingdom.

This important step will provide the strong foundations on which we can build a closer trade and investment partnership in the future that brings even greater benefits for both sides.

The UK has long been the biggest investor in South Africa, and is the second biggest investor across Africa.

And as I said in my speech today, my ambition is for the UK to be the number one G7 investor in Africa by 2022.

As we discussed in London, the UK fully supports your drive, Mr President, to attract more investment to South Africa so as to create jobs and economic growth.

And I want to see British companies play a central role in helping you achieve your ambitions, helping create and sustain high quality jobs for the people of both our countries.

I’m sure this is something we will discuss further at our investment roundtable this afternoon with some of the British firms who are travelling with me this week.

Science and Innovation

The UK’s plan for jobs and growth is set out in our modern industrial strategy. That strategy has science, research and innovation at its heart and these themes are also a central part of our bilateral partnership.

Our world-class academics and researchers are collaborating at the cutting edge of scientific discovery to help solve shared problems, save lives, and shape a better world for our people.

We are partnering with you to train the next generation of South African scientists, and we will make more scholarships available for the brightest and best African students at world-class British universities – to support the continent’s talented future leaders and decision-makers as they develop their skills and careers.

Shared security

I look forward to discussing international issues with the President over lunch – in particular how we can work together to uphold the rules based international order as South Africa prepares to join the UN Security Council next year

So thank you again, Mr President, for the warm welcome you have given me today and for the productive discussions we’ve had.

We want to be South Africa’s partner as we deliver the better lives that our citizens aspire to and deserve. I look forward to continuing to work with you in the years ahead to deepen our friendship and to achieve our shared ambitions.

Headquartered in Belfast, Devenish develops sustainable and innovative animal nutrition products and solutions for the feed industry, the food industry and for human health, trading in over 40 countries around the world.

29 senior business leaders from across the country will be representing the very best of British business in technology, infrastructure and financial and professional services.

Visiting South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya over the course of the trip, they will meet with leading businesses, policy makers and entrepreneurs in order to build new investment, trading and export ties between the UK and these emerging markets.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP said:

I’m delighted Devenish is joining the Prime Minister on her trade visit to Africa. It is vital that Northern Ireland industry is represented as the United Kingdom seeks to develop new trading links across the world.

Devenish, who have sold to over 40 countries worldwide and operate at the very cutting edge of food science and animal nutrition, is a fitting choice to showcase the innovation and expertise NI companies can offer future trading partners in Africa.

Richard Kennedy, Group CEO of Devenish said:

I am delighted to join the Prime Minister’s visit to Africa, a continent which represents significant opportunity for Devenish. We already have a presence in Africa which we are focused on growing, organically and through acquisition. It is important for us as both exporters and potential investors to build strong relations on the ground and this trade mission is a valuable opportunity to do so.

For Devenish, when moving into a new market, it is crucial that we have sustainable agricultural systems in place which are appropriate to the region from the very start. This trade mission will allow us to forge significant relations that will help us in our future endeavours.

With over 60 years of experience in the industry and more than 450 employees worldwide, Devenish’s strong focus on research and development has seen them remain at the cutting edge of innovation in animal nutrition and sustainable farming systems.

The visit will allow Devenish to build on its relationships with partners in Africa and explore further opportunities for growth, delivering sustainable solutions for farming businesses overseas.

Africa is developing fast; more than half of the anticipated growth in global population between now and 2050 is expected to occur in Africa, and according to the International Monetary Fund, African economies are amongst the fastest growing in the world, making it a significant trading and investment partner for the UK.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will set out how new partnerships between the UK and Africa can add value to the UK economy, create new market opportunities for British businesses, and boost jobs and prosperity for the benefit of all.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Devenish is an excellent example of the kind of forward-thinking company which is driving economic growth and prosperity both here in the UK and overseas.

I am pleased that they are joining me on this visit to Africa, where their strengths in innovation and technology are representative of the unique offer which the UK holds for growing markets across the continent.