About the International Programme – Russia

The UK places value on building sustainable connections between British and Russian peoples in a range of common areas. The International Programme provides funding for projects that support activities directly connected with the UK’s foreign policy priorities.

Registered organisations are encouraged to submit concepts for projects that advance the goals of the International Programme in Russia:

• To sustain links between people and institutions on a wide range of subjects, promoting collaboration and fostering mutual respect.

• To champion democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

• To address global and local challenges through policy dialogue and exchange of expertise.

• To increase opportunities for doing business.

Project Formats and Focus Areas

Projects may be in a variety of formats including, but not limited to:

• Building relationships and networks
• Holding dialogues or exchange of expertise
• Joint research
• Promoting city-to-city and business-to business links
• Capacity building
• Supporting young leaders

Projects may address topics including, but not limited to:

• Environment (e.g. international climate change agenda / COP26*, the transition to a green economy, sustainable development)
• Science and innovation (e.g. life sciences, global health, the Arctic)
• Culture (e.g. arts and literature, education, shared history)
• Human rights and civil society (e.g. democratic accountability, fundamental freedoms, journalistic standards and media freedom)
• Security challenges (e.g. disarmament, non-proliferation, climate resilience)
• Business and trade (e.g. economic diversification, decreasing barriers, improved regulation)

Preparing and Submitting a Bid

Enter the first stage of the competition by submitting a Project Concept Form that outlines a project valued at £10,000 to £500,000** (or the equivalent) per fiscal year (ending 31 March) over a 1-3-year period***. Project costs must be provided in the currency of your organisation’s bank account.

To submit your application:

1. Please complete the following documents in English and send them in single email to Projects.Russia@fco.gov.uk, indicating ‘Project Concept – name of your organisation’ in the subject line. * Project Concept Form (ODT, 27.8KB)

1. Please include in your email the contact details (name, title/role, email, phone number) of the individual(s) designated to attend the information session for organisations invited to the next stage of the competition, should your project concept be shortlisted (see below). If you have questions about your submission, please review the Concept Stage FAQs (ODT, 27.2KB) .

The deadline for project concept bids is 13:00 (MSK/UTC+3), 20 January 2020. Late submissions will NOT be accepted.

Notification and Next Steps

By 3 February 2020, we will invite selected bidders to the next stage of the competition by requesting a full project proposal. Due to the anticipated volume of project concepts, we reserve the right to reject bids at the concept stage without informing applicants of the grounds for rejection or providing feedback. Should you progress to the proposal stage, please anticipate attending an information session at the British Embassy in Moscow on 7 February 2020. We aim to make final decisions on project grants by 15 May 2020. Please note that bidding is competitive and we are not obliged to fund any or all proposals.

*Given that the UK will co-host the Conference of the Parties in November 2020, project concepts focused on climate change are highly encouraged.

** Sub-granting organisations may propose a higher figure.

*** Multi-year project bids and proposals must clearly identify activities and outcomes for each year. Please note that the continuation of the project is not guaranteed and depends on available funding and project performance.

EU Ministers have reached a compromise on fishing opportunities at this year’s annual EU fisheries negotiations – the last ‘December Council’ attended by the UK before it becomes an independent coastal state.

In a year where scientific advice showed concern for the health of fish stocks in many areas, significant cuts in cod quotas were agreed in the Irish Sea, West of Scotland and the Celtic Sea.

There are growing concerns about the state of cod stocks in the North East Atlantic, with North Sea Cod losing its MSC accreditation in October, despite several years where the fish stock was showing signs of recovery.

Last Friday at the annual EU-Norway negotiations, it was agreed to cut cod quotas by 50 percent in the North Sea. This week limited quotas were agreed for cod in the Celtic sea, Irish Sea and West of Scotland- just enough to allow the landing of accidental catch.

To further protect vulnerable cod stocks, the UK has successfully pushed for enhanced rules on sustainable fishing practices such as changing net sizes, to help the iconic cod make a recovery.

In other areas there were more positive developments, with conservation measures for Sea Bass that the UK pressed for five years ago starting to show a significant recovery in the stock. Modest changes were agreed to allow recreational anglers to take home more of what they catch, with conservation measures remaining in place.

There were also increases for other species with quotas for Haddock in the North Sea rising by 23 percent and Sole in the Western Channel rising by 19 percent.

Speaking after concluding negotiations early this morning, Fisheries Minister George Eustice said:

This year there has been some very challenging science for cod stocks in many parts of the North East Atlantic and we have responded to conserve stocks. I know that some of the quota reductions will be very difficult for some sectors of the industry and there has been considerable debate this year about the importance of bycatch allowances to support the delivery of the discard ban. However, we also know that to protect the profitability of fisheries in the future, we must fish sustainably today.

Some of the problems have been exacerbated by the fact that the EU’s outdated method for sharing quota between member states means that the UK gets a very small share of the cod in our own waters. As we leave the EU and become an independent coastal state, we will be in a position to address the unfairness that is inherent in the Common Fisheries Policy.

The agreement for 2020 comes ahead of the UK leaving the EU and becoming an independent coastal state for the first time in over 40 years. As further preparations for leaving the EU, the Government will place into legislation a new legal commitment to fish sustainably and has confirmed that fisheries funding across the UK nations will be maintained throughout the next Parliament.

The UK delegation was led by Fisheries Minister George Eustice but also included the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy Fergus Ewing, Welsh Government’s Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths and representatives from Northern Ireland.

Ahead of and during the negotiations, the UK delegation held detailed discussions with the devolved administrations, industry and environmental NGOs.

The agreement sets fishing opportunities for the UK while it remains part of the Common Fisheries Policy. Once the UK has left the EU, it will become an independent coastal state and negotiate on fisheries as a third country with the EU and other coastal states such as Norway and the Faroe Islands.

Nursing students will benefit from guaranteed, additional support of at least £5,000 a year to help with living costs.

The funding will be given to all new and continuing degree-level nursing, midwifery and many allied health students from September 2020. It is expected to benefit more than 35,000 students every year.

The announcement of the funding comes ahead of the UCAS university application deadline of 15 January.

The funding comes as part of the government’s pledge to increase nurse numbers by 50,000 over the next 5 years.

Students will receive at least £5,000 a year, with up to £3,000 further funding available for eligible students, including for:

• specialist disciplines that struggle to recruit, including mental health
• an additional childcare allowance, on top of the £1,000 already on offer
• areas of the country which have seen a decrease in people accepted on some nursing, midwifery and allied health courses over the past year

This means that some students could be eligible for up to £8,000 per year, with everyone getting at least £5,000. The funding will be available from next year. Further details on who can access the support will be available in early 2020.

The funding will not have to be repaid by recipients. Students will also be able to continue to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.

The announcement comes alongside the latest push in the biggest nursing recruitment drive in decades, with a campaign boost ahead of the UCAS deadline for university applications on 15 January 2020.

The NHS ‘We Are the NHS, We Are Nurses’ campaign, backed by the Health Secretary, targets teenagers who are about to choose their degrees as well as career switchers considering going into nursing.

The measures will be part of the upcoming NHS People Plan, which will set out work to reduce vacancies across the NHS and secure the staff needed for the future.

As part of a wider drive to make sure the NHS continues to have the staff it needs to meet demand, the government has also confirmed that it will carry out an urgent review of the pensions annual allowance taper problem. This issue has caused some doctors to turn down extra shifts for fear of high tax bills.

Treasury and health ministers will meet the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the British Medical Association as part of this review and the government will continue to hear evidence from other relevant professional bodies. The review will report at Budget.

The move comes following NHS England’s recent announcement of special arrangements for 2019 to 2020, meaning no doctor in England will be worse off as a result of taking on extra shifts this winter.

The government is also increasing day-to-day NHS funding so that by 2023 to 2024 it will receive an extra £33.9 billion a year to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

I have heard loud and clear that the priority of the British people is to focus on the NHS – and to make sure this treasured institution has everything it needs to deliver world-class care.

Nurses epitomise everything that makes the NHS so revered across the world – skill, compassion, energy and dedication.

On the steps of Downing Street last week, I said we will deliver 50,000 more nurses, and this new financial support package is a crucial part of delivering this.

There can be no doubting our commitment to the NHS, and over the coming months we will bring forward further proposals to transform this great country.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

The NHS is there for all of us in our time of need, thanks to the skill, dedication and compassion of its staff. I know from my Grandma, who worked nights as a nurse, just how compassionate and hard-working our nurses are.

As we enter the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we are embarking on the biggest nursing recruitment drive in decades, backed by a new universal support package.

We want every person considering this incredible career to apply for their university place before the UCAS deadline of 15 January, safe in the knowledge they will benefit from this financial support from the start of the next academic year.

This £2 billion plus package builds on the government’s ongoing work to increase the number of places for students and is central to its commitment to deliver 50,000 more nurses on our wards.

At the same time we are also urgently reviewing the pensions issue senior clinicians have told us is having a direct impact on them, so we have the staff we need to deliver the care patients deserve.

Today, British High Commissioner to Canada Susan le Jeune d’Allegeershecque announced the UK government’s plans to construct a new High Commission building in Ottawa.

The modern building will be built on a lot adjacent to the High Commissioner’s residence, Earnscliffe, on land currently occupied by a decommissioned building once used for staff accommodation.

British High Commissioner Susan le Jeune d’Allegeershecque said:

This new building will allow us to consolidate our staff presence in Ottawa whilst providing us with a modern, accessible, and sustainable building that better suits our current priorities in Canada and our ambitions for developing the relationship with one of our closest partners.

At the same time, as trustees of Earnscliffe for almost 90 years, we are well aware of its special place in Ottawa’s history. We want to assure the public that we are working closely with architects, the City of Ottawa, National Capital Commission, and other community partners to ensure this new building respects and complements this historic home’s design and surrounding grounds.

The planning process with the City of Ottawa is currently underway. It includes the completion of a Cultural Heritage Impact Statement which along with community feedback will be used to refine elements of the project over the coming months.

Subject to this and final approval in the United Kingdom, it is expected work on the new building will start in mid-2020.

Background

The current British High Commission building is located at 80 Elgin Street and was opened in 1964.

The UK government currently employs approximately 60 staff in Ottawa, including UK diplomats and local staff.

The British High Commission in Ottawa, is the UK government’s main diplomatic mission in Canada. Along with Consulates-General in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, we work closely with the Canadian government and partners across the country to develop and maintain a wide range of substantive partnerships of real value to both countries. These partnerships cover business, defence, climate change, science and innovation, education, and culture.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

Earlier today, I had a constructive meeting with Harry Dunn’s family. I appreciate how painful this is for them, and welcomed the chance to address a number of their concerns.

We are united in our determination to get justice for Harry. The Government will do everything it can. I also reaffirmed my commitment to conclude the review of the arrangements at RAF Croughton by the end of the year to ensure they cannot be used in this way again.

I appeal to Anne Sacoolas herself to do the right thing. If there is a charging decision from the Crown Prosecution Service, I urge her to come back to the United Kingdom and cooperate with the criminal justice process.

Finally, I want to pay tribute to the tenacity of Harry’s family and friends and their determination to get justice for Harry. We will support them in any way we can.

Published 17 December 2019