Detailed guide: Funding for innovative smart energy systems

Updated: UK / Canada Smart Energy Systems Challenge now open to applications / South Korea Collaboration Competition winners announced

A commitment to smart energy

Enabling a smarter, more efficient energy system is a priority for government and in the Upgrading our energy system: smart systems and flexibility plan published in July 2017, the government committed up to £70 million to smart energy system innovation.

Across government, Innovate UK, Research Councils, and BEIS expect to invest around £265 million in smart systems research, development, and demonstration.

As part of this commitment, within the BEIS Energy Innovation Programme, BEIS expects to invest up to £70 million in the smart energy systems innovation theme.

Power Forward Challenge: funding for UK / Canada joint challenge on smart energy systems innovation

As electric vehicles, smart devices, storage systems, remote connectivity and the like become more commonplace, the demands placed on our electricity grids are highly complex and very different from when they were built.

Through the Power Forward Challenge, the UK and Canada are jointly offering over £11 million to develop the best smart energy systems, including grids and storage, for the needs of the 21st Century, supporting the UK Industrial Strategy Clean Growth Grand Challenge around smart systems for the future.

The Challenge is looking for innovators from any sector who can bring disruptive technologies or new thinking to develop clean, robust and flexible power grids and energy systems that anticipate and meet the needs of networks around the world, looking ahead to 2030 and beyond.

Funding opportunity 1: Feasibility study development – open to SMEs

BEIS will fund selected UK SMEs for participation support, and the Canadian government will fund the selected Canadian enterprises. UK SMEs can apply for up to £60,000 SME participation support for feasibility study development.

How to apply – Deadline 17 December 2018

Read the detailed Challenge Applicant Guide and complete the online application forms available on the Impact Canada website.

In addition UK applicants should complete and submit, together with their application form, this UK Feasibility Study Annex:

SME Participation Support Proposals: UK Feasibility annex

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Funding opportunity 2: Pilot-scale demonstration proposals – open to companies and other organisations

BEIS will fund the selected UK-based demonstration projects and the Canadian government will fund the demonstration projects located in Canada. Project teams applying for support for demonstration projects must involve organisations from both the UK and Canada. The project teams can apply for funding contribution of up to £1.8 million per project for demonstration projects located in the UK.

How to apply – Deadline 15 March 2019

Read the detailed Challenge Applicant Guide and complete the online application forms available on the Impact Canada website.

In addition UK-based project teams should complete and submit, together with their application form, this UK demonstration project annex:

Pilot Scale Demonstration Proposals: UK Demonstration Project annex

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Event

We are holding an information event on 17 October 2018 at Telford in the UK:

For those who can’t attend either, we will post the webinar presentation here after the event.

Funding for UK/South Korea bilateral collaboration on smart energy innovation

Reflecting a shared interest in innovation to help to secure a smarter, efficient energy system, the UK and South Korean governments committed up to about £6 million in total, from 2018 to 2021, to deliver a bilateral competition on smart energy innovation. This innovation collaboration, announced by the Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry on 25 January 2018, is expected to help secure cost savings in the energy system by accelerating the speed and extent of deployment of smart, flexible energy system solutions as well as securing increased market knowledge and access in South Korea for UK companies.

This competition is now closed to applications. The 3 projects which have secured funding in the competition are:

  • DROPLET (Demand Response using Off-peak Power for Liquefied air Energy storage Technologies) – led in the UK by Doosan Babcock Ltd
  • Energy Flexibility via V2G Gamification – led in the UK by Grid Duck
  • Project Artemis (flexibility trading platform) – led in the UK by Electron

All projects are expected to be completed and to disseminate learning by March 2021.

Selected projects – summary information

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Full details of the competition:

UK-South Korea Smart Energy Innovation Collaboration: competition guidance notes

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Funding for non-domestic smart energy management

The government is planning to commit up to £8.8 million to develop innovative approaches to energy management using smart meter data, tailored to the needs of smaller non-domestic sites.

The Non-Domestic Smart Energy Management Innovation Competition will aim to drive innovation in the energy services market in 3 priority non-domestic sectors (hospitality, retail, schools). It will help such non-domestic organisations cut their energy costs and be more energy efficient, enabling them to boost productivity and contribute to UK emissions reduction targets. It will also develop and strengthen the market for energy management products and services for smaller non-domestic sites, including both independent businesses and chains.

Up to 9 projects, distributed across these 3 sectors, will be selected to receive initial funding to develop innovative energy management solutions using smart meter data. Details of these initial projects can be found on the Non-Domestic Smart Energy Management Innovation Competition page

Details about the competition are set out in the Competition Brief.

This competition is supported by the findings of a major primary research project conducted over 2015 and 2016, which used a qualitative, cluster-based approach to identify the barriers and enablers to smart energy management in a variety of non-domestic premises. The design of the competition was also informed by an expert workshop convened by BEIS in March 2017.

Funding for innovative domestic Demand Side Response demonstrations

The government is committing up to £7.75 million from 2018 to 2021 to support innovative domestic applications of Demand Side Response (DSR) technologies and business models. This grant competition will support up to 30 feasibility studies (Phase 1) and 10 demonstration projects (Phase 2) in domestic settings. We are looking for innovative, scalable and replicable solutions which could provide reliable domestic demand side response using a range of approaches, which could involve storage heaters, decarbonisation of heat and business models with novel usage of flexible demand.

This competition will be delivered in two phases. In Phase 1, grants of up to £30,000 will be awarded for 10 week feasibility studies. In Phase 2 grants of between £250,000 and £1 million will be awarded for demonstration projects, to be completed by 31 December 2020.

Details of the projects supported in Phase 1 of this Competition are set out here:

BEIS Innovative Domestic DSR Competition – summary project details

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Full details about the competition are set out in the Competition Guidance Notes.

Domestic DSR competition guidance notes

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Research on Realising the Potential of Demand Side Response

Research was commissioned by BEIS into realising the potential of DSR to 2025 to improve the evidence base on the potential of small-scale DSR and inform policy development targeted at a smarter energy system. The research uses an evidence review (a Rapid Evidence Assessment) and country case studies, both covering four research areas: policy interventions, business strategies, DSR products and services, and consumer engagement and participation.

Research on realising potential of Demand Side Response: executive summary

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Research on realising potential of Demand Side Response: research report

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Research on reslising potential of Demand Side Response: case study

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Research on realising potential of Demand Side Response: reference document

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Research on realising potential of Demand Side Response: summary report

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Funding for flexibility markets feasibility studies

As part of the Upgrading our energy system: smart systems and flexibility plan, in July 2017, government launched a competition on local flexibility markets, committing up to £600,000 for feasibility studies about innovative approaches that can be used to value and trade flexibility in the UK electricity system. This competition is now closed for entrants. Details of the projects supported by this competition:

BEIS Flexibility Markets Feasibility Study Competition – summary project details

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Details about the competition are set out in the guidance notes:

Flexibility markets feasibility study competition: competition guidance notes

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Funding for innovative electric vehicle-to-grid projects

In July 2017, government committed up to £20 million for innovative projects that develop future electric vehicle-to-grid products, services and knowledge. Details about competition winners:

Innovation in Vehicle-to-Grid V2G Systems – Feasibility Studies – Competition Results

Innovation in Vehicle-to-Grid V2G Systems – CR D – Competition Results

Innovation in Vehicle-To-Grid V2G Systems – Real-World Demonstrators -Competition Results

Funding for energy storage cost reduction and feasibility studies

Government launched a competition with up to £9 million available to reduce the cost of energy storage technologies (including electricity storage, thermal storage, and power-to-gas technologies). This includes a further £600,000 to support feasibility studies for a potential first-of-a-kind, large-scale future storage demonstrator. This competition is now closed for entrants. Details of the projects supported by this competition:

BEIS Energy Storage Cost Reduction Competition – summary project details

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Grants have now been awarded for delivery of energy storage feasibility studies for large-scale future storage demonstrators. These initial feasibility studies are being led by the following organisations:

  • Cumulus Energy Storage Ltd;
  • Highview Enterprises Ltd;
  • ITM Power Trading Ltd;
  • SSE Renewables Developments UK Ltd

For more information, please email smart.innovation@beis.gov.uk.

Full details about the cost reduction competition, and the feasibility study are set out in the guidance notes here:

Energy storage cost reduction competition guidance notes

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Energy storage cost reduction competition feasibility study

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Funding for innovative non-domestic Demand Side Response demonstrations

Government committed up to £7.6 million for innovative demonstrations of energy demand side response technologies in UK businesses or public sector organisations to reduce their energy use in peak times and provide flexibility to the energy system. This competition is now closed for entrants.

Phase 1 contracts have now been awarded for delivery of feasibility studies for the innovative non-domestic demand side response demonstrators. These initial feasibility studies are being led by the following organisations:

  • DuckDuck Ltd;
  • Flexitricity Ltd;
  • Innovatium LLP;
  • Kiwi Power Ltd, and
  • Totem Sustainable Solutions Ltd

Details of the Phase 2 projects supported by this competition:

BEIS Innovative Non Domestic DSR Competition – summary project details

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Details about the competition are set out in these guidance notes:

Innovative non domestic demand side response competition guidance notes

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Detailed guide: Funding for low carbon industry

Updated: Carbon Capture and Utilisation Demonstration (CCUD) documents added.

Innovation to reduce the carbon emissions from UK industry and driving down the cost of carbon capture, use, and storage

Across government, Innovate UK, Research Councils, and BEIS expect to invest around £162 million in industrial research and innovation, including Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS).

As part of this commitment, within the BEIS Energy Innovation Programme, BEIS expects to invest around £100 million in low carbon industrial innovation to reduce the risks and costs of accelerating the roll out of low carbon technologies which will enable UK industry to remain competitive.

Call for CCUS Innovation

On 31 July 2018 BEIS launched a £15 million Call for CCUS Innovation to offer grant funding for innovation projects that lead to:

  • A significant reduction in the cost of capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide; and/or
  • A quicker, more widespread deployment of CCUS in the UK and internationally;

Funding of up to £5 million will be considered for feasibility studies, industrial research or experimental development projects; and up to £7 million for research infrastructure that enables the UK to conduct world-leading research and innovation into CCUS. Project funding will be available for up to 24 months, with projects finishing by 31st March 2021.

This Call will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of CCUS innovation, developing novel technology and processes that reduce the cost of deploying CCUS and positions the UK as a world technology leader in CCUS.
Applicants must complete and submit the application forms (see below) by email to Industry.Innovation@beis.gov.uk by Sunday 11 November 2018:

CCUS Call guidance

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CCUS application form

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CCUS finance form

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CCUS partner details form

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CCUS Call Q&A

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In 2017 BEIS commissioned Wood to execute a study assessing the most promising CO2 capture technologies in order to inform future innovation spending programmes and to shape future policy direction for carbon capture technologies in the power and energy intensive industries. A literature review of novel capture technology was completed, and eleven techno-economic benchmarks were studied.

This benchmarking comprised eight current state-of-the-art carbon capture on power generation, two leading next generation carbon capture technologies on power generation, and one carbon capture benchmark on hydrogen production.

The literature review and benchmarking report are being published to accompany the Call for CCUS Innovation. Innovation projects that focus on reducing the cost of capturing and sequestering CO2 will be compared to the benchmarks produced by BEIS/Wood, to determine if they produce meaningful improvements against the current state-of-the-art CCUS technology, and how robust the case is for them achieving these improvements.

Literature review

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Benchmarking next generation technologies

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As part of the BEIS/Wood study a levelized cost of electricity/hydrogen calculator was produced as part of the benchmarking analysis. This calculator allows applicants to compare their technology against the benchmarks produced in the study, and for this analysis to be used in project applications for the Call.

Levelized cost of electricity/hydrogen calculator

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Hydrogen Supply Competition

Low carbon hydrogen could play an important role in decarbonising industry, power, heat and transport. However, for a market to grow, potential users (in any application) need to be confident in supply of sufficient amounts of low carbon hydrogen at a competitive price.

The £20 million Hydrogen Supply programme aims to accelerate the development of low carbon bulk hydrogen supply solutions in the above sectors. It is aimed at projects at a technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 to 7, which could result in lower capital or operating costs when compared to Steam Methane Reformer with Carbon Capture & Storage (SMR+CCS), or improve the capture rates at a comparable cost.

The programme is now live. If you are interested in applying, please see the guidance, application and finance forms below.

The deadline to register your interest is 21 November 2018.

The deadline to submit proposals is 5 December 2018.

Hydrogen Supply Programme: guidance notes

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Hydrogen Supply Competition: Application form

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Hydrogen Supply Competition: Finance form

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Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator

To support innovation in energy efficient technologies, the government will be investing up to £9.2 million for an Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator, to be delivered over the next 4 years.

This Accelerator will seek industry-specific solutions which are close to commercialisation by leveraging private sector investment and strengthening UK supply chains to reduce energy costs for UK industry. After a competitive process, the Carbon Trust has been awarded the contract to help BEIS deliver this programme. The Carbon Trust has been holding events to engage with both industry and their suppliers, and the competition is now open to applications.

We have recently committed £560,000 to 2 successful projects in the first round of the Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA). The IEEA aims to broaden the range of technologies available for industrial energy efficiency, bringing down the cost for decarbonisation. More information on the companies that have successfully bid for these projects will appear shortly.

Further information is also available from the Carbon Trust

Industrial fuel switching to low carbon alternatives

The Clean Growth Strategy highlights the need for industry to begin to switch from fossil fuel use to low carbon fuels such as biomass, hydrogen and clean electricity. Beyond 2030, the switch to low carbon fuels for industry will need to substantially increase in scale. Government has launched the first phase of an innovation competition which has been allocated up to £20 million which focuses on market engagement and potential scope for fuel switching in industry. The competition aims to stimulate early investment in fuel switching processes and technologies, so that a range of technologies are available by 2030 and beyond.

Element Energy successfully bid for the first phase which aims to understand the potential for industry to operate on low carbon fuels and the innovation required to enable this to happen, a report detailing Element Energy’s findings will be published in the autumn.

Carbon Capture and Utilisation Demonstration (CCUD)

As part of the government’s Clean Growth Strategy BEIS has allocated up to £20 million to design and construct carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) demonstration projects. This programme is designed to encourage industrial sites to capture carbon dioxide which could then be used in industrial applications, while enabling learning and development of capture technologies at an intermediate scale, so reducing costs and risks.

The overall aims of the CCU demonstration programme are:

  • to demonstrate carbon capture and utilisation at a number of key industrial sites in the UK
  • to demonstrate and accelerate cost reductions in carbon capture technology in the order of 20 to 45%, i.e. £10-20/MWh
  • to encourage a project pipeline of follow-on CCU projects that will help less mature, but more novel technology to be demonstrated at scale; and
  • to improve understanding of the cost and performance of carbon capture technology
  • to de-risk the capture technology.

The programme is in 3 phases:

  • Phase 1 focuses on initial scoping study for an engineering supplier to work on BEIS’ behalf with potential host sites, carbon dioxide users and technology suppliers to produce site-specific cost estimates for deploying CCU at UK industrial sites. Wood.Plc successfully bid for Phase 1
  • Phase 2 will fund projects to conduct design studies for constructing CCU equipment at UK host sites
  • Phase 3 will fund projects to construct and demonstrate CCU

Phase 2 of CCUD: Programme Advert

£20m BEIS Call for CCU demonstration innovation

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Phase 2 of CCUD: Front End Engineering Design (FEED) Studies

A £5 million Call for the Phase 2 Front End Engineering Design (FEED) Studies, part of the £20 million CCUD Innovation programme, provides grant funding for up to 5 FEED studies. These will produce cost estimates for the construction and operation of demonstrating CCU at the host site. The cost estimates are anticipated to produce cost accuracy of ±15% to allow BEIS and the developer to make a final investment decision.

The Call is open to all sizes of organisation and will provide grant funding for projects of 6-9 months, finishing before October 2019. The projects can involve working with international partners, but the work funded must be predominantly conducted in the UK.

BEIS will fund project proposals that meet the definition of Feasibility Study. Grants of up to £1 million will be considered under Article 25.

Call for Carbon Capture and Utilisation Demonstration Programme (CCUD), Phase 2 – Feed Study: guidance notes

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2018 Call for Carbon Capture and Utilisation Demonstration (CCUD), Phase 2: Feed study – questions and answers

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CCUD Application_Form

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2018 Call for CCUD, Phase 2 – Feed Study: Partner Details Form

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CCUD Phase 2: FEED Study – Finance form

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2 reports on carbon dioxide utilisation that were prepared by Ecofys and the Royal Society are also available.

Ecofys report on carbon dioxide utilisation

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Royal Society report on carbon dioxide utilisation

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ERA-NET Cofund – Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT)

In 2016 the UK joined a consortium of nine European countries to co-fund collaborative innovation projects into CCUS called Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT). ACT is a European Research Area Network (ERA-NET) Cofund, which is a tool established by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation. The idea behind ERA-NET Cofunds is that European countries should join forces when it comes to funding RD&D and innovation on subjects of high European interest.

Under the scheme, 9 European countries – Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK – have come together to provide €25.34 million to support collaborative projects that can accelerate the deployment of CCUS within Europe; the European Commission adding a further €11.26 million, giving a total pot of €36.6 million.

Within the €36.6 million BEIS has committed £4.4 million, matched with a further £2.2 million in co-funding from the European Commission, to support UK participation in 5 collaborative projects with European partners.

Of the 8 projects selected in May 2017 the UK is contributing to 5:

ACORN: aims to initiate a low cost full chain carbon capture and storage project in North East Scotland that is readily scalable to nationally significant CO2 infrastructure

ALIGN: a large scale project aiming to accelerate the demonstration and implementation of European CCUS projects by addressing specific R&D gaps across the CCUS chain, including capture, transportation, storage and utilisation

DETECT: aims to provide pragmatic and reliable tools to reduce risks and costs for CO2 storage operations

ELEGANCY: aims to fast-track the decarbonisation of Europe’s energy system by exploiting the synergies between two key low-carbon technologies: CCS and hydrogen

PRE-ACT: an industry-driven research project with a strong focus on improving strategies for monitoring and management of pore pressure distribution to address the main storage-related challenges for the deployment of CCS: capacity, confidence and cost.

Contact

Please direct any other questions to industry.innovation@beis.gov.uk.




Speech: Baroness Shields closing speech at the Global Counter Terrorism Forum

On behalf of the GCTF co-chairs of the working group on countering violent extremism, I would like to thank the Swiss government and the UAE for making this experts meeting possible.

In particular I’d like to thank the Swiss government for their leadership and industry representatives for their constructive engagement and recognition of the benefits of GCTF and other such forums in providing a multi-national, multi-stakeholder platform for these important discussions.

And finally, my thanks goes to ISD, D-CAF and the GCTF administrative unit for organising the event and all participants for their insightful and thoughtful contributions.

Just over the last 3 days, whilst we have been at this conference, Daesh has continued its attempt to poison the minds of the young and vulnerable. On Monday the group produced a cartoon presented as a bedtime story for children, in which viewers are urged to join the group and fight the supposed tyranny of the West.

They followed this by producing a video showing child soldiers beheading and shooting to death Kurdish captives in Syria. Aside from the moral depravity these 2 examples evidence, they also illustrate the breadth and many nuances of the Daesh proposition.

Of course we cannot focus on Daesh in isolation. Just last night al-Qa’ida released perhaps the most polished version of their English-language magazine al-Risalah, which celebrated the cowardly murder of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov and provided instructions for using the TOR browser to discreetly access terrorist content online.

Since Monday, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham published a video of a suicide operation involving 15 terrorists in Homs. The Afghan Taliban claimed to have wounded 70 people in a twin suicide bombing in Kabul. And 2 terrorist groups released proof-of-life videos featuring hostages from Australia and Switzerland, their captors demanding ransoms for their release.

At the outset of this conference, I challenged us collectively to set our ambitions higher to respond to the evolving global threat of terrorist and violent extremist abuse of the internet. The reality, as these examples demonstrate, is that terrorism is destroying lives across the world every day.

As I previously acknowledged, a lot of good work has already been undertaken by civil society, governments and industry but we all recognise the need to amplify the pace, scale and reach of our efforts to address the immediacy of the challenge we face.

We cannot be complacent. We must continue this dialogue to ensure our collective efforts have a true impact in tackling such heinous content. I am therefore encouraged to hear the innovative ideas and good practice that has been discussed at this forum.

It is clear to me that we have real will and expertise in this room to make a difference and ensure people around the world are not expose to the violent narratives terrorists seek to spread online.

In setting our ambitions high, it is vital to acknowledge the fundamental importance of partnership working and of continuous innovation.

As I set out previously, this is not a threat that can be tackled by one nation, company or group in isolation and this forum has provided an opportunity to bring together our knowledge, expertise and capabilities to improve our response.

This is an unrelenting challenge and we must continue to make progress. In light of this, I would like us all to consider the following emerging themes from this conference.

First, the need to develop and maintain effective partnerships across sectors to scale existing and new efforts, by drawing on unique capabilities of each.

Second, the importance of being agile and innovative, sharing best practice and data driven research and analysis to act as the foundation for effective policy making and counter-narrative communications.

And third, alongside developing national capacity, to continue engagement at international forums such as the GCTF to ensure we collectively amplify our response to this global threat.

Public private partnerships

So to my first point. A lot of the discussion at this forum has rightly centred on the value of effective public private partnerships. Collaboration between and across a wide range of actors is key to ensuring a holistic approach that draws on the best we all have to offer.

I welcome innovative thinking in casting the net wider on who we bring into our partnerships including collaborating with advertising agencies and other sectors like the cyber security industry to tackle this ever evolving threat from different perspectives.

As such I am encouraged by the model supported by D-CAF, for the International Code of Conduct Association, to deal with private security companies and the potential to apply that approach to this challenge.

Like the WeProtect model the UK set up to tackle online child sexual exploitation, we need to show that a global partnership can also make a significant impact on tackling terrorist and extremist communications online.

These past 3 days have shown us that in terms of motivations and incentives, there is broad alignment between civil society, public and private sectors. We all want the same outcomes.

But what is needed is greater understanding of each other’s positions and how best to approach collaboration. Going forward we need to consider how we can make more of existing partnerships to scale our response, working towards understanding the impact of promising existing initiatives. We also need to continue to build new partnerships, exploring innovative ways to tackle the threat. Following this conference I hope we can continue our dialogue on maximising effectiveness through partnership and learning from best practice globally.

Innovation, sharing best practice, research and analysis

To my second point, over the past few days it is clear that many of you have developed and are keen to share innovative ideas on tackling terrorist and violent extremist use of the internet. This is very encouraging.

The threat we face is unrelenting and constantly evolving. The terrorists and violent extremists do not rest – they are constantly innovating and adapting their methods to stay one step ahead. Together we must outmatch their efforts.

I am pleased that right here in this room we have the expertise and commitment to drive this innovating thinking in your respective sectors.

For civil society groups, this innovation could focus on the different mediums of messaging, be it counter, alternative or subtle messaging delivered through human-centric entertainment. For industry, this could mean innovative technical solutions including detecting and removing harmful content as soon as it is released. And for governments this means developing innovative polices and partnerships to tackle terrorist propaganda online to safeguard their citizens.

All of this needs to be underpinned by cutting edge research and analysis and innovative communications.

Whether that be the entertaining cartoons developed and presented here by Big Bad Boo, the counter narratives based on the lives of female defectors as promoted by Hedayah or the data driven approach to peacebuilding developed by PeaceTech Labs.

In the UK we have conducted research into the role that different channels play in the Daesh’s propaganda ecosystem online which can be grouped into 3 broad categories:

  • what we refer to as beacons, like Twitter and Telegram, are used to coordinate and disseminate propaganda to the wider public
  • aggregators, like file hosting or pasting sites, WordPress and social networks like Facebook and Google+ fulfil the function of hosting catalogues of vile propaganda
  • content stores, like YouTube, archive.org or Google Drive, are sites on which propaganda can be stored

Daesh are acutely aware of the different roles that each platforms plays in the online propaganda ecosystem. And they are adept at maximising their exploitation of this ecosystem.

Our response needs to be mindful of this and we need to continue conducting ground breaking research and analysis to inform our response.

International forums and national capacity building

Moving to my final point, alongside building national capacity this conference has once again demonstrated the importance of international fora, like the UN PVE, the GCTF and the Global Coalition Strat Comms Cell. The internet has no borders and it is clear that international engagement is imperative in ensuring a holistic response to the online terrorist threat.

We need to ensure that our joint efforts complement each other, that international standards and conventions that we all hold dear including freedom of expression and human rights are upheld. And that that our global strategic discussions at forums like the GCTF drives effective local action.

I am deeply encouraged that this conference has led to calls for further discussions on specific topics and hope this will lead to further tangible, collaborative initiatives.

Conclusion

I’d like to conclude by returning to the threat we face once more. Terrorist groups rely on closed communities of supporters on social networks and messaging applications to increase support for their cause. These online echo chambers serve to normalise and more deeply entrench, dangerous extremist views, which, as we’ve seen, can have horrific consequences.

By working more closely with industry and community partners, we can loosen the stranglehold that terrorist radicalisers have on vulnerable people in these echo chambers, removing this vile terrorist propaganda and promoting positive alternatives.

It is clear to me that through the GCTF and other collaborative international fora, we can scale efforts to tackle terrorist and extremist abuse of the internet in all its forms. As you have rightly acknowledged, whilst Daesh are the current focus, there is a need to ensure we don’t lose sight of other growing threats, like far-right extremism and the vicious cycle of islamophobia.

It is great to see the passion and appetite for collaboration, allowing each of us to benefit from the breadth of knowledge and expertise of all of the participants.

Specifically, I note the following key outcomes and points from the conference:

Firstly, the need to develop harmonised approaches across countries to understand and evaluate impact. Here I think governments have a role to play in setting objectives, building consensus on theories of change, and ensuring that strategic gaps are met.

Secondly, the need to build a comprehensive framework for communications beyond narrow counter speech efforts online. This could including offline engagement, educational initiatives and work across different forms of media.

I also note the appeal from yesterday’s panel members for governments to involve youth in understanding the appeal of these narratives in policy-making and counter narrative response. This is valuable idea to gain better insight and understanding and something the UK government will continue to explore.

Finally, yesterday, discussions ended with you all agreeing that working towards a single, shared and clearly defined core objective, underpinned by a common theory of change is crucial. And I think the GCTF is an excellent forum to drive this through.

As co-chair of the GCTF working group on countering violent extremism, the UK is keen to continue this vital discussion and hear from all of you on how we best shape this initiative going forward.

We must ensure that the internet – which was built to create a more closely connected world and provide greater access to knowledge and information continues to empower people to shape their own futures.

We must ensure that the Internet does not become a battle ground where extreme views, hatred, division and intolerance are amplified and the vulnerable, victimised.

Collectively, through our shared expertise and drive we can innovate to reclaim the internet from the terrorists and violent extremists that seek to divide us.

Thank you.




Press release: Burns Night boom for Scottish drinks

Scots have another cause for celebration this Burns Night as new figures reveal gin and beer are following in the footsteps of exporting phenomenon Scotch whisky, announced Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom today.

The celebration of poet Robert Burns is now marked around the world, with Burns suppers enjoyed as far afield as South Korea and the USA. While a wee dram is the traditional drink of choice for Burns Night – with 34 bottles shipped overseas every second – the UK’s gin and ale industries are following suit, with nearly a billion pints of beer and 150 million bottles of gin exported around the world last year.

With two thirds of the UK’s gin produced in Scotland – accounting for more than half the world’s total exports – and a record 22 breweries opening last year – bringing the total number of breweries to over 100 for the first time in more than a century – the demand for traditional Scottish drinks shows no sign of slowing.

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said:

Scotch whisky is a driving force of the UK food and drink industry, accounting for nearly one-quarter of all our food and drink exports each year. It’s fantastic other businesses are following suit and exporting around the world.

I want to build on the significant global opportunities for our food and drink businesses by giving companies the skills and confidence to start tapping into new international markets.

This Burns Night I would encourage people around the world to celebrate with the very best the Scotland has to offer.

Demand for Scotch whisky, the UK’s biggest food and drink export, continues to rise, with almost 900 million bottles exported between January and September last year – an increase of three per cent on 2015. This success is set to continue, with the Scotch Whisky Association expecting seven new whisky distilleries to open in Scotland this year.

Fuelled by a growing thirst for Scotland’s craft ales, exports of beer were worth £479 million from January to October last year, a 16 per cent rise from the same period in 2015. Exports of gin were worth nearly £400 million between January and October, an 11 per cent increase on 2015, and total gin sales broke the £1 billion mark in 2016.

Julie Hesketh-Laird, acting chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, said:

Burns and Scotch whisky are synonymous. The Scottish poet penned his love for our national drink in his verse ‘O thou, my muse! guid auld Scotch’ and around the globe a dram will be raised in his memory.

Scotch exports are worth around £4 billion a year to almost 200 markets. Such demand is driving an unprecedented number of Scotch distilleries being opened. We’re committed to working with Defra to maintain export growth, leading the way for other food and drink products overseas.

Beer, whisky and gin all form a key part of the Government’s plans to boost food and drink exports over the next five years. The recently launched UK Food and Drink International Action Plan aims to forge stronger economic links with key countries around the world, opening up new markets and helping first-time and existing exporters to bring a £2.9 billion boost to the UK economy.

There is a growing thirst for whisky in both the USA and Canada, where Defra is targeting an extra £579 million in exports over the next five years. The Government is also aiming for a £215 million export boost in Mexico and Latin America through growing demand for a wide range of British products including gin.

Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell said:

Whisky is one of Scotland’s greatest success stories and tonight, like many Scots across the world on Burns Night, I’ll be enjoying a wee dram.

Whisky is a vital part of any Burns night celebration – and these statistics show the industry is going from strength to strength. They also show the growing thirst for other fantastic Scottish drinks such as gin and craft beer, which have seen business booming.

Through the Government’s Food is GREAT campaign Defra is working to drive exports and increase global demand for the UK’s top quality food and drink.

The Government recently launched a new online exporting hub, which provides a one-stop site for free advice as well as financial and regulatory support and over 1,300 live exporting opportunities. This includes over 200 current opportunities for food and drink companies in the UK.




News story: Over £9.2 billion released by pension freedoms

Over 1.5 million payments have been made using pension freedoms, with 162,000 people accessing £1.56 billion flexibly from their pension pots over the last 3 months, according to HMRC figures released today (25 January 2017).

The Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Simon Kirby, said:

Giving people freedom over what they do with their hard-earned savings, whether it’s buying an annuity or taking a cash lump sum, is the right thing to do. These figures show that people continue to take advantage of the choices on offer: choices ‎only made available since the government’s landmark pension freedoms were introduced in April 2015.

We are working with our partners, including Pension Wise, the regulators and pension firms, so that savers have the support they need to understand the options available to them.

People accessing their pensions are also benefiting from the government’s free and impartial pension’s guidance service, Pension Wise which has had over 3.7 million visits to the website and over 100,000 appointments to date.

The government is committed to making pensions fairer, safer and more accessible for consumers. This includes plans to cap early exit fees, allow earlier access to Pension Wise guidance, and work with industry to build a Pensions Dashboard prototype by April 2017.

Autumn Statement launched a consultation on the government’s proposed approach to crack-down on pensions scams. This included:

  • banning pensions cold calling
  • giving more powers to firms to block suspicious transfers, preventing people’s lifesavings being transferred into scams without any checks
  • making it harder for scammers to open fraudulent pension schemes, through stopping small self-administered schemes setting up using a dormant company as the sponsoring employer