News story: GC team thanked for leading interactive DNA extraction workshop
Dr Malcolm Burns represented the UK at the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL) Steering Committee meeting held at the end of June
Dr Malcolm Burns, Principal Scientist and Special Advisor to the GC, represented the UK at the 33rd ENGL Steering Committee meeting held at the JRC-Ispra (Italy) site in June.
Malcolm gave a presentation to the ENGL Steering Committee, summarising the outcome and action points resulting from the DNA extraction workshop he had helped organise and chair in early June. The ENGL Chair and Head of Unit of Food and Feed Compliance (EC Directorate F), Prof. Hendrik Emons, personally thanked Malcolm for the model approach to organising such an interactive workshop, citing all of the positive feedback he had received from participants in attendance at the event.
As a result of the workshop, the ENGL Steering Committee approved a draft proposal to establish a new Working Group in this topical area and asked Malcolm to contribute to the mandate of the Working Group. Malcolm was also asked to spearhead any publications from the workshop, and to consider leading on any official EU/ENGL guidance in the area.
For more information on our work on the GMO area contact us.
Detailed guide: Creating a Digital Built Britain: what you need to know
The programme is designed to transform how the UK construction industry and operations management professionals approach social and economic infrastructure through digital technology. This includes the way we plan, build, maintain and use that infrastructure, as well as the renewal, replacement and creation of new built assets.
All of this should help people to make better use of built assets, and provide better social outcomes to the challenges of urbanisation and an increasing population. It should also improve the UK’s productivity and support growth.
Digital Built Britain will:
advance the skills of a wide range of people so that they can confidently use technology to digitise their construction projects and manage the built assets
help UK businesses and organisations of any size to seize opportunities offered by technology and increase their revenue in domestic and international markets
develop and promote the standards, practices and policies that underpin strong, innovative construction and operations management sectors
establish new models of delivery and collaboration that allow the UK to retain its position as a global leader
Digital Built Britain seeks to digitise the entire life-cycle of the UK’s built assets.
Built assets provide important services to citizens. Using digital technologies in the design and construction process can improve their effectiveness and efficiency so they can provide better user experiences. This should also improve the productivity of the UK and other countries by creating new opportunities for growth through the export of expertise and services.
There are 2 main goals:
to better understand the needs of users and enable ‘right first-time’ delivery
to provide buildings and infrastructures as quickly and efficiently as possible
In addition, a digital approach will award greater levels of transparency. It will also give insights into how citizens use public services to allow for improvements based on their experiences in the future.
The Digital Built Britain programme was created to meet these needs. It aims to:
maximise the lifespan of infrastructure and building facilities and networks to make them safely available to provide services for longer
gain insights into how assets can be improved by measuring the in-service performance user behaviours
provide new business models with better information on projects from initial design through to completion and then management
develop strategies that allow the construction supply chain to be better integrated, especially with the manufacturing sector
support engineering and construction services to be delivered more efficiently (whole life costs, time and carbon)
identify any required new skills and systems for future construction projects early, to support the development before they are needed
further develop and drive uptake of industry standards
ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of digital working to maximise the export of UK digital services
What is building information modelling and how does it affect you?
Building information modelling (BIM) is one of a range of tools that will be used to digitise the built environment and operations management industries. It is a primary focus of the Digital Built Britain programme because it provides the most detailed analytical view of a built asset during the design and construction of a project.
BIM is used in conjunction with British Standards processes to provide a collaborative way of working. People working on a construction project are able to create and share information at defined stages of that project.
Using these methods with BIM supports the efficient design, delivery and maintenance of infrastructure and buildings. The data you generate is then available to help others in the supply chain to make more informed decisions to improve productivity and reduce waste.
The background
UK government’s 2011 Construction Strategy defined 4 levels of BIM. This was done to help clients and suppliers understand how BIM and digital technologies should be used on projects.
These levels were designed to support industry to create specific capacity at each level and to ensure appropriate standards for effective and fair procurement.
Government currently sponsors projects at Level 2. All centrally-funded government departments use this method, as set out in its Construction Strategy 2016-2020.
Level 3 has commenced its development and is expected to come to the market in mid-2020s.
The 4 BIM levels
Each of the 4 levels represents an increasing maturity in use of digitisation and collaboration in a construction or infrastructure project:
Level 0
Projects will use only 2D computer-aided design (CAD) drafting. There is very little collaboration. Any data that is exchanged is typically done so via paper or print.
Level 1
Projects will use a mixture of 2D and 3D CAD drafting. They will use a common data environment for the electronic sharing of data. This will often be managed by the main contractor and may be shared among team members. Projects may also use some standard data structures and formats.
Level 2
Projects will use intelligent, data-rich objects in a managed 3D BIM environment. All parties working on a project are able to combine their BIM and design data to collaborate and share information through the use of a common data environment (CDE). The CDE enables users to carry out checks against data validation strategies to make sure they are on target.
Projects at this level are fully collaborative. They use a single, shared project view for data integration, which all parties can access and modify as allowed through process and security controls.
What comes next
Digital Built Britain builds on the achievements of the Level 2 BIM programme. It will support the next step to Level 3 BIM and in turn enable wider digitisation in construction and operations management.
New and emerging technologies, such as the internet of things and advanced data analytics, with the growing digital economy will create further opportunities.
Digital Built Britain will support these opportunities by:
helping everyone who has a stake in public sector building and infrastructure to work together to provide long lasting solutions to the biggest industry problems
making the roles of consultants, contractors and manufacturing suppliers fit for the future
improving technical solutions and reducing costs
using service performance data to develop new business models for infrastructure and building design, delivery, operation and adaptation
ensuring that the increase in availability and use of operational and performance data is underpinned by appropriate Level 3 security measures that protect national security
supporting all organisations that need to achieve Level 3 to do so, by providing a practical stepping stone through the development of Level 2 C (Convergence). This includes SMEs and local authorities
Get involved
As the Digital Built Britain programme evolves we hope to develop and launch a number of working groups. These groups will inform the focus of our work and determine the future of the digital economy in construction and operations management.
Press release: New export partnership with Turkey to boost UK trade
The government’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF) and its Turkish counterpart, Export Credit Bank of Turkey (ECBT) have signed the agreement as the government increased its support for UK businesses trading with Turkey.
UKEF and ECBT will partner to identify and promote opportunities for UK-Turkey trade. They will also now be able to co-finance projects in other countries, combining their financial support to help UK and Turkish exporters secure major global contracts.
This comes as UKEF support for exports to Turkey doubles to up to £3.5 billion, making an additional £1.75 billion available for UK companies selling to Turkey and for Turkish investors buying British products and services. UKEF financing is also now available in Turkish Lira, along with 40 other global currencies, making it easier for Turkish companies to buy UK products using their local currency.
International Trade Minister, Greg Hands, said:
This partnership is a boost to our trading relationship and businesses in both countries. Working with Turkey to secure contracts for UK and Turkish exporters, and increasing our support for UK businesses trading with Turkey, will open new opportunities, not only in Turkey, but across the world.
Adnan Yildrim, General Manager, Export Credit Bank of Turkey, said:
I am very excited about this partnership, as the opportunity for stronger ties between UK and Turkish businesses will have huge benefits for both countries’ continued growth and prosperity. This agreement lays the groundwork for significant engagement and will act as a strategic tool to enhance the already robust economic relations between the two countries who are longstanding close allies. I expect that both sides will start to reap the fruits of the agreement in the shortest time.
The UK and Turkey already shared £11.9bn worth of trade in 2016, up 70% on 2009. The UK and Turkey are committed to further strengthening this relationship in coming years.
UK Export Finance is the UK’s export credit agency and a government department, working alongside the Department for International Trade as an integral part of its strategy and operations.
It exists to ensure that no viable UK export should fail for want of finance or insurance from the private market. It provides finance and insurance to help exporters win, fulfil and ensure they get paid for export contracts.
UKEF can support companies of any size and in any sector, from goods to services and intellectual property.
News story: CMA proposes to amend penalties guidance
The CMA is consulting on proposals to amend its penalties guidance in order to reflect experience gained in applying it since it was issued in 2012.
The penalties guidance sets out how the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will calculate the financial penalties it can impose for breaches of competition law. The proposed amendments are intended to enhance transparency and clarify specific aspects of the CMA’s approach to calculating penalties, rather than representing major changes in the CMA’s practice.
The changes include provision of further details around the assessment of seriousness of infringements, additional information regarding some illustrative mitigating and aggravating factors and the application of discounts where the CMA considers approving voluntary redress schemes.
Further information on the proposed changes and the draft revised guidance is available on the consultation page.
Interested parties are encouraged to respond to the consultation, which will run until 27 September 2017. Responses should be submitted by email to penaltiesguidance-consultation@cma.gsi.gov.uk or by post to:
Penalties Guidance Team Policy and International Competition and Markets Authority 6th Floor Victoria House 37 Southampton Row London WC1B 4AD
