Welcome to the January edition of the JSaRC Vision Newsletter!
For those new to our newsletter, JSaRC (Joint Security and Resilience Centre) operates within the UK Home Office, bringing together expertise from government, academia, and the private sector to improve security outcomes.
Our newsletter aims to keep you informed about the latest security-related news, events, and opportunities from across the Home Office, wider government, industry, and academia. Through this, we strive to inspire greater collaboration on national security issues.
Thank you for registering with us, and we hope you find the content both informative and valuable.
January highlights
It has been another busy month at JSaRC, with Security and Policing now just over a month away. Work is continuing to deliver another successful edition of exhibition, so stay tuned for some exciting announcements about this year’s event. The team have also been busy further afield, visiting the Intersec show in Dubai, alongside PPCS director Shaun Hipgrave, as well as managing the BSEFT trials in Sheffield.
Events and Media Update
Last week, JSaRC held a table-top event in London, promoting Security & Policing to colleagues within the Home Office. This follows our successful industry showcase event in November, where we hosted several companies with innovative technologies focused on ‘safer streets’. Thanks again to RiVR, Createc, FLAIM, Bays Consulting Ltd, Vizgard, AVRT, UKDSE, Sergeant Rory Barlow, Inoke Veikune, and Border Force for making that event so impactful.
This month the tabletop event was focused discussing the core themes of show, as well as the government, innovation, fire & resilience and immersive zones. Thank you to all the colleagues that came over to speak to us, we look forward to seeing you all in March.
Registration for Security & Policing 2025 is now open. Click the link to visit the S&P website and register to visit, exhibit, or find out more.
Intersec, Dubai
Our International Engagement Team were thrilled to represent the UK at Intersec Expo Dubai 2025, the world’s premier exhibition for the security industry, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. With thousands of exhibitors, visitors, and thought leaders from around the globe, the event served as a vital platform to showcase cutting-edge technologies, explore emerging trends, and foster partnerships in security and resilience.
Throughout the event, the JSaRC team, alongside Shaun Hipgrave, Director PPCS, engaged with international partners, industry leaders, and government stakeholders to reinforce the UK’s reputation as a leader in public safety, counter-terrorism, critical infrastructure protection, and cyber resilience. A significant milestone this year was the historic visit of H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to the UK Pavilion, marking an important step in strengthening UK-UAE bilateral relations. We are committed to leveraging the relationships and insights gained at Intersec Dubai 2025 and look forward to welcoming some of the international delegations to the UKs only government owned Security exhibition, Security and Policing, in March this year. For more information on our flagship event, please click here: www.securityandpolicing.co.uk .
Biometric Self- Enrolment Feasibility Trials - Revolutionising remote capture for the UK’s border
December marked the start of long-awaited next phase of the Biometric Self-Enrolment Feasibility Trials (BSEFT), with both in person and remote testing taking place. This month the team have been in Sheffield completing this phase of the trials. With lots of data to now analyse, stay tuned for the latest updates on the BSEFT trials.
For those that aren't aware of the project or need a reminder of what has happened to date…. here is a refresher.
The challenge:
Under the current UK immigration system, some migrants and visitors are required to provide face and fingerprint biometrics ahead of travel to enable identity and security checks before they can be granted immigration permission. Under a single global immigration system, the Home Office’s long-term aim is that all foreign nationals subject to immigration control will enrol their face and fingerprint biometrics ahead of travel to the UK. The vision is to utilise contactless self-enrolment for those who are not required to apply for a visa, as part of an ecosystem of pre-travel enrolment options.
As part of achieving this ambition, JSaRC has worked with policy and technical colleagues at the Home Office and beyond to run the Biometric Self-Enrolment Feasibility Trials. The aim is to assess the current capability of existing technology solutions and drive further development to achieve a range of challenging criteria and requirements.
In response to this challenge, the JSaRC-led BSEFT project team has been working with biometric technology companies since 2021 on behalf of Future Borders Immigration System (FBIS), to drive the development of app-based solutions. They have hosted bespoke feasibility trials to test the effectiveness of developing biometric capture capabilities and assess market maturity for biometric smartphone apps.
To read more about JSaRC’s work on BSEFT, please read more in our article here.
JSaRC activity
Eco system insight
Navigating government departments to find the right support for your organisation's needs can be challenging. To make this easier, we have added a useful guide below to help you identify the best government body to engage with. Over the coming months, we'll feature brief spotlights on each of these organisations.
This month, we're highlighting the Network for Security Excellence and Collaboration. (NSEC) is a nationwide community of multi-disciplinary academics with experience, expertise or interest in UK national security and resilience research and government collaborators working to meet the UK’s national security and resilience needs. NSEC coordinates across many stakeholders and initiatives, driving cohesion and accelerating collaborations. By enhancing the diversity and effectiveness of collaboration between academia, government and industry, the network will positively impact across policy and practice.
The network is for:
• Academics keen to collaborate and engage with complex challenges for maximum impact.
• Government communities seeking diverse academic engagement to inform policy and practice.
• Industry and Third Sector organisations aiming to enhance capabilities through academic collaboration.
NSEC is an open network, and new institutions are welcome to join. Please send requests to contact@nsec.uk
Thank you for taking the time to read JSaRC January vision. If you wish to find out more about any of the items mentioned above, or any other projects JSaRC are working on, please do not hesitate to contact us at jsarc@homeoffice.gov.uk, or visit our website here.
If you want to see more JSaRC updates, head over to our LinkedIn page, where we post regular team updates, government opportunities and news.
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