The first hackathon will focus on real-time incident response and take place on 26-27 November 2018.

The second will be a defence logistics hackathon, taking place on 29-30 November 2018.

For these events, we are looking to bring together the best from academia, industry and government in the defence and security arena.

Brief details about the hackathons are as follows:

Real-Time Incident Response Hackathon

Improving the way we investigate incidents through the application of Multimedia Analysis and Artificial Intelligence

Participants will be asked to process large amounts of real-world incident multimedia data and rapidly identify key information for on-site experts – people, places, events, in fact anything that may assist an investigations team. We’re interested in how entities relate to each other, the event timeline and narrative, and near-term predictions.
Data will mostly take the form of video which will be varied in quality, source, and format. Some will be live-streamed during the event.

This is a unique opportunity for participants to demonstrate their ability to extract useful information and insights from large multimedia data sources which would help teams to respond to incidents more quickly and effectively. We expect participants to exploit cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence techniques, including Machine Vision, to achieve the best results.

At the end of the second day a final showcase will take place.

Defence Logistics Hackathon

Accelerating Logistics Decision Support through exploiting Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) capabilities

The intent of this hackathon is to demonstrate the ability to analyse and share structured and unstructured multi-source data maintaining its classification and permission based access rules at machine speed. Data sets from the C130J Hercules platform will be provided to enable the development and testing of potential sharing solutions. The longer-term aim will be the development of predictive maintenance tools, and provides evidence based recommendations to optimise inventory checks and extend the life of components.

This event will require programmers and coders at the leading edge of current technology to develop an AI/ML capability that can be accessed, interrogated and translated to provide better informed and timely decision support across national and multinational domains.

This event will provide a great opportunity to demonstrate your ability to solve current Defence Logistic challenges, as well as the opportunity to network with senior decision makers and end users within this area. Following the event you will be invited to submit a fully costed proposal which could lead to securing funding to further develop your product.

Further details about these hackathons and how to register will be provided on the DASA website next week.

Speaking at the seventh edition of the annual Latin American Investment Forum in London today (19 October), the Rt Hon Sir Alan Duncan MP, Minister of State for the Americas said:

The UK Government is committed to promoting economic development across Latin America and is proud to be taking a leading role in facilitating that alongside British businesses.

With projects in sectors such as infrastructure, fintech and energy, the UK will continue to work in close partnership with governments throughout the region to strengthen our ties, support our shared economic interests and join forces on vital global issues.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan on Twitter @AlanDuncanMP and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Today (Friday October 19), the Home Office launched the latest round of the Hate Crime Community Projects Fund, which encourages community groups to come up with innovative solutions to counter hatred and prejudice.

The boost comes amid Hate Crime Awareness Week and following the government’s publication of the updated Hate Crime Action Plan, which set out new actions to tackle prejudice.

Minister for Countering Extremism Baroness Williams said:

The Government is determined to stamp out hate crime and I know the power that local communities have in tackling hatred and prejudice.

That is why I am delighted to be able to launch the third year of the Hate Crime Community Projects Fund. I have seen first-hand how the fund has supported vital initiatives across the country and look forward to the new, innovative ideas to help promote our shared values, protect victims and tackle hate crime.

The Hate Crime Community Projects Fund was one of commitments made by the government in its 2016 action plan, which was refreshed on Tuesday.

In the first two years, 16 projects covering all five of the monitored hate crime strands – race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and disability – have been awarded over £560,000 of funding.

Projects that have received funding include:

• working with young transgender people who encounter abusive narratives online
• using restorative justice techniques to challenge behaviours and attitudes of young people who had committed hate-related offences in Manchester
• using British Sign Language to and raising awareness of hate crime with deaf and deafened people

On Monday, Baroness Williams visited Globe Primary School in Bethnal Green which has been supported by EqualiTeach, a beneficiary of the fund last year.

EqualiTeach worked with children and teachers from seven schools in Tower Hamlets to develop films and educational resources on anti-Muslim hate crime as well as strengthen existing systems to help pupils report hate crime and provide support for victims.

Sarah Soyei, Head of Strategy and Development for EqualiTeach, said:

The Hate Crime Community Projects Fund was a vital tool, enabling EqualiTeach to work with young people over a period of six months, to empower them to be agents for change in their own schools and to develop free resources which will support teachers from across the country to educate about Islamophobia.

You can find out more about funding for community projects that prevent hate crime.

The UK Intellectual Property Office is holding an intellectual property roadshow run by Tom Duke, the UK’s IP Attaché to China.

The annual China IP roadshow will run from 1 to 7 November and this year will visit Cardiff, Bristol, Guilford and London.

Based in the British Embassy Beijing, Tom supports hundreds of UK companies each year to protect and enforce IP in China. He will draw on this experience to provide practical advice on a range of ventures in and with China. This includes exporting, manufacturing, investment, collaborative research, technology licensing and creative collaboration.

China IP Roadshow events are open to large and small business, and cover all industry sectors. The events will cover all major aspects of IP: patents, trade marks, designs, copyright and trade secrets. All sessions will be interactive with opportunities to comment, ask questions and network with other participants. 1-2-1 meetings with Tom and IPO staff are available at several events.

The dates and locations for each city are provided below, along with links to further information and registration pages. All events are free of charge.

Thursday 1 November 2018

In partnership with Welsh Government, the China IP Roadshow will begin with an event in Cardiff.

Cardiff

• time/date: 8am to 10:30am
• venue: Sophia Gardens
• title: Succeeding in China: How to Mitigate Intellectual Property Risk
• suitable for: Companies of all sizes and in all sectors.
• more information and sign-up details are available.

Friday 2 November 2018

The China IP Roadshow will visit Bristol for an event held in partnership with Enterprise Europe Network South West, Innovate UK, China-Britain Business Council and Department for International Trade.

Bristol

• time/date: midday to 2:30pm
• venue: Leigh Court Business Centre
• title: Succeeding in China: How to Mitigate Intellectual Property Risk
• suitable for: Companies of all sizes and in all sectors.
• more information and sign-up details are available.

Monday 5 November 2018

In partnership with Enterprise M3 and M3 Growth Hub, the China IP Roadshow will be hosting an event at the University of Surrey, Guilford.

Guilford

• time/date: 9:30am to midday
• venue: University of Surrey
• title: Succeeding in China: How to Mitigate Intellectual Property Risk
• suitable for: Companies of all sizes, with a particularly relevance for those in high technology sectors
• more information and sign-up details are available.

Wednesday 7 November 2018

In partnership with the China-Britain Business Council, the China IP Roadshow will be running a practical workshop on managing IP risk in UK-China collaborative research and technology commercialisation.

London

• time/date: 2pm to 5:30pm
• venue: China-Britain Business Council office, Victoria
• title: IP in UK-China technology projects
• suitable for: Academic researches and technology transfer offices
• more information and sign-up details are available.

If you require further information on the 2018 China IP Roadshow please contact Hannah Hunt.

Rules to prevent people found guilty of serious crimes from serving on local councils will be strengthened, Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak MP announced today (18 October 2018).

The new rules will mean any person who is subject to an Anti-Social Behaviour Injunction, a Criminal Behaviour Order, a Sexual Risk Order or who is on the Sex Offenders’ Register, will no longer be able to stand for elected office in their community.

Current conditions make clear that anyone convicted of an offence carrying a prison sentence of more than 3 months is banned from serving as a local councillor.

The new measures will strengthen this further by bringing disqualification rules in line with modern sentencing to include the alternatives to a prison sentence as a barrier to becoming a councillor.

These changes to the rules for who can stand for election, or hold a post as a councillor, will make sure those who represent their communities are accountable and held to the highest possible standards.

Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak MP said:

Elected members play a crucial role in town halls across the country, and are the foundations of local democracy. They are community champions, and have a leading role to play in building a better society for everyone.

With such an important role comes great responsibility, and these changes will protect residents while upholding the values and high standards of behaviour we all expect.

Anyone convicted of a serious offence that results in a sentence covered under the new disqualification criteria will be banned from standing for election, or would be forced to step down if they were convicted whilst in post.

The changes will better reflect rules governing standards of MPs, where members face suspension from the House for anything that contravenes the parliamentary code of conduct.

Futher information

Government will look to identify a suitable legislative opportunity to bring the changes into law. It will require changes to primary legislation, in particular the Local Government Act 1972, the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, and the Greater London Authority Act 2009.

Once the rules are implemented, councils across England will have the power to prevent individuals from standing as a councillor or mayor at the point they trigger the revised disqualification criteria. These proposals will not apply retrospectively.

This consultation was open to everyone between 18 September 2017 and 8 December 2017. We particularly sought the views of individual members of the public, prospective and current councillors and those bodies that represent the interests of local authorities and councillors at all levels.

A summary of consultation responses and the government response has been published today.