16 September
On Thursday 15 September, The National Archives was officially presented with the Queen's Award for Enterprise at a ceremony in St Catherine's College, Oxford.
The prestigious Innovation Award was made jointly with private company Tessella for developing the Safety Deposit Box (SDB), a system for preserving digital information over long periods of time, regardless of changes in technology.
Lord Lieutenant Tim Stevenson of Oxfordshire presented the award on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen to Oliver Morley, Keeper and Chief Executive of The National Archives and Kevin Gell, Managing Director of Tessella.
In a speech praising the work of The National Archives, Lord Lieutenant Tim Stevenson said: 'The National Archives' vision combined with the industry and expertise of Tessella is a unique example of a mutually beneficial collaboration between the public and private sectors. It has helped create a new international market for digital preservation systems led by the Safety Deposit Box system which has now been adopted by archives all over the world'.
The awards ceremony was followed by demonstrations showcasing the work of Oxfordshire-based Tessella.
The Queen's Awards are made annually on the Queen's Birthday and are only given for the highest levels of excellence demonstrated in each category. The National Archives is the only public sector organisation among this year's winners. In July, Her Majesty The Queen hosted a reception for the winners at Buckingham Palace.
