Secure the smart contracts in a decentralized blockchain environment

("The Call for Proposals")

 

RULES OF THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS

 

(The "Rules")

 

This call for solutions is organised by Banque de France ("Banque de France") and Campus Cyber ("Campus Cyber").

The purpose of the Rules is to define the conditions and rules of participation to the Call for Solutions.

Participation to the Call for Solutions implies full and unreserved acceptance of these Rules.

 

1.     Duration of the Call for Solutions

The Call for Solutions begins on February, 5 2024 at 14 :00 [Paris time] and ends on March 25 2024 at 23:59 [Paris time]. The Call for Solutions is avaiblable 24 hours a day on the website accessible at the URL: Le Lab Banque de France - Accueil (banque-france.fr), subject to any IT maintenance operations or malfunctions.

 

2.     Acceptance of the Rules

Any person registered on the Call for Solutions Website ("the Participant") must read and expressly accept the Rules. By accepting the Rules, the Participant:

(i) Enters into a binding contract with the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber. Being specified that registration for, and participation in, the Call for Solutions does not create a relationship of subordination between Banque de France and the Campus Cyber and the Participant; and

(ii) Fully and unreservedly agrees to abide by all the provisions of these Rules. Acceptance is by means of an online box to be ticked when registering in the Call for Solutions.

 Failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification from the Call for Solutions.

 

3.     Registration for, and participation in the Call for Solutions

To take part in the Call for Solutions, we must have received your full submission before March, 6 2024 at 23:59 [Paris time]. In order to take part in the Call for Solutions, the Participant must have created a user account on the Call for Solutions Website, and filled in the required information fairly and completely, such as their surname, first name, e-mail address, etc.

Participants who have not provided proof of their full contact details and identity or who have provided them inaccurately or falsely will be disqualified, as will people refusing the collection, recording and use of their personal data which is strictly necessary for the purposes of managing the Call for Solutions. The information provided by the Participant as part of their registration for the Call for Solutions is their responsibility and any error, anomaly or inconsistency, whether intentional or not, relating to the information communicated by the Participant may lead to their disqualification. Banque de France and Campus Cyber reserve the right to carry out any necessary checks on the identity, postal address and/or e-mail address of the Participants.

Deletion of a Participant's user account on the Call for Solutions Site shall be deemed to constitute abandonment of the Participant's participation in the Call for Proposals. In such a case, the Participant, even if he/she is able to provide proof that this deletion is not his/her fault, may not reintegrate the Call for Solutions, nor obtain any compensation from the Banque de France or Campus Cyber.

Similarly, to take part in the Call for Solutions, the Participant must have accepted these Rules when registering and creating a user account.

Registration and participation in the Call for Solutions are entirely free of charge and without obligation to purchase.

 

4.     Conditions for participating in the Call for Solutions

The Call for Solutions is open only to:

• Legal entities. An entity regardless of its activity. For companies, Banque de France may require, at its sole discretion, that they provide the proof of (i) their registration in the Trade and Companies Register, by providing a KBis extract less than three (3) months old, or the proof that their registration is ongoing, and a justification testifying that the company has been set up in the country concerned and (ii) that they subscribed to a valid professional insurance policy.

All the documents that can prove the Participant's eligibility for the Call for Solutions will be requested during the process (e.g. identity document, extract from the KBis, etc.).

To participate in the Call for Solutions, the Participant must:

• Explicitly answer the question posed by the Call for Solutions;
• Meet the requirements set out in the specifications throughout all phases of the Call for Solutions.
• Submit its Deliverables in a standard digital format, such as doc, docx, pdf, ppt, odt, (in addition: mp3, mpeg, mov, mp4) knowing that no executable is authorized in the file;
• Be established in the European Union or a member state of the European Economic Area;
• And in general, comply with the conditions laid down in the Regulations.

 

5.     Principle of the Call for Solutions and terms of participation

When applying for the Call for Solutions, the Participant must designate, within its entity, a single contact person for the Banque de France and the Cyber Campus, responsible for registration and management of the Call for Solutions. The Participant declares and guarantees to the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber that this contact person is duly authorized and empowered to bind the entity he represents and to participate in the Call for Solutions on its behalf.

The Call for Solutions consists of the Participant producing Solutions (or projects) formalized by deliverables, meeting the requirements set by the Banque de France and Campus Cyber in the Call for Solutions specifications. These specifications include information such as deadlines, Banque de France and Campus Cyber requirements, etc. These specifications are available on the Call for Solutions website.

 

6.     Deliverables

During the Call for Solutions, Participants may upload, via the Call for Solutions Website, any document or file (such as texts, presentations, videos, etc.) relating to their project as a response and solution to the Call for Solutions of Banque de France and Campus Cyber (the "Deliverable").

To be valid, the Deliverables must (i) respond to the specific problem set out in the specifications of the Call for Solutions, (ii) and in general, satisfy the conditions set out in the Rules and in the specifications.

If a Deliverable cannot be downloaded, is not in the correct format, or is incompatible, illegible or unintelligible, the Deliverable will not be accepted. The candidate will not be disqualified, but their response will be analysed without this Deliverable.

By submitting a Deliverable, Participants declare and certify that:

• The Deliverable consists solely of contributions from the participating Legal Entity;
• Otherwise, if third-party content has been used to create the Deliverable, all the rights, authorisations and agreements required to submit the Deliverable and grant the rights mentioned herein must be obtained by the Participant as of the date of submission of their contribution. Any use of an element covered by an intellectual property right, as defined in article 10 of these Rules, without the authorisation of the holder of this right will result in the disqualification of the Deliverable and of the Participant(s) concerned;
• The content of the Deliverable does not and will not violate any right of a third party, including (without this list being exhaustive) intellectual property rights, the right to privacy, competition law, confidentiality, or any other contractual or extra-contractual right. Any Deliverable suspected of violating the rights of third parties and/or one or several law(s) will be ineligible for the Call for Solutions and will not be taken into account in the analysis of the Participant's file.

Participants are responsible for all costs and expenses related to the preparation and submission of the Deliverables. Participants are solely responsible for any damaged, lost, delayed, incomplete, invalid, incorrect or misdirected Deliverables.

7.     Process of the Call for Solutions

Stages of the Call for Solutions. The call consists of two selection phases:

• The first stage of pre-selection of candidates: Deliverables are accepted until March, 6 2024 at 23:59 [Paris time]. At the end of this stage, a maximum of 5 Participants will be selected and will be invited to the second stage.
• The second stage of oral presentation: This will take place from March 14 to March 19 2024. At the end of this stage, a maximum of 3 Participants will be selected.

Selection criteria. Deliverables will be judged on the basis of the selection criteria set out in the Call for Solutions specifications. The Participant acknowledges that he/she is aware of and accepts that the proposed Call for Solutions calls upon his/her creativity, sagacity, skill and ingenuity to solve complex problems.

Information for Participants. Once the selection process is complete, the Participant will be notified by e-mail, telephone or any other means at the sole discretion of Banque de France and Campus Cyber of the results of each selection stage. The Banque de France and Campus Cyber are free to change the dates on which the results are communicated should the number of projects to be examined make such a change necessary. The results of the first pre-selection stage will be announced on March 13, 2024, this date being an estimate.

Composition of the Jury. The Jury is made up of Banque de France employees and members of a Campus Cyber Working Group (hereinafter "the Jury").

A. The first pre-selection stage

During this pre-selection stage, all Deliverables must have been received by Banque de France and Campus Cyber before March 6, 2024 at 11:59 pm [Paris time]. Deliverables must meet the specifications defined in article 6 above, and must include:

• The expected content, as indicated in the specifications of the Call for Solutions.
• A presentation of the Participant, based on the questionnaire to be completed in the participation area, which is accessible online via the user account.

In this first pre-selection stage, evaluations are carried out according to the criteria set out in the Call for Solutions specifications, and take place from March 7 to March 13, 2024.

The members of the Jury evaluate and select the Deliverables according to their content and the criteria indicated in the Call for Solutions specifications.

With the exception of the provisions set out below, a maximum of 5 Participants with the best evaluations at the end of the first stage will participate in the next selection phase.

The Participant will be informed of the results of the first selection stage from March 13, 2024.

B. Oral presentation

The Participant shortlisted to take part in the oral presentation phase will be contacted directly by Banque de France and/or Campus Cyber. In the absence of confirmation of participation from the Participant when Banque de France and/or Campus Cyber attempt to contact the Participant by e-mail and telephone, Banque de France and/or Campus Cyber reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify the Participant concerned. This disqualification, if applicable, will not give rise to any compensation on the part of Banque de France and Campus Cyber.

This second phase consists of an oral presentation of the solutions by the Participant. It takes place between March 14 and March 19, 2024.

This oral presentation will include the following elements:

·        A presentation of the use case and the solution

·        A presentation of the technical and application architecture

·        A presentation of the Participant

Depending on the Participant's initial submission, the Banque de France and Campus Cyber representatives may ask the Participant to supplement his or her oral presentation with elements necessary for a proper understanding of the Participant's proposal.

 

Following the oral presentation, the Jury will select up to 3 of the most relevant projects.

 

Participants will be informed of the results of the second selection stage from March 25, 2024.

 

8.     Communication

The Participant acknowledges and accepts that the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber may, for the duration of the Call for Solutions and for a period of three (3) years following the oral defense, use the Call for Solutions for communication purposes of the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber, whatever the format, means and medium (website, advertising banners, social networks, newsletter, press release, etc.), known or unknown to date, free of charge or against payment.

To this end, the Participant consents to the use by the Banque de France and Campus Cyber of his or her first and last names, the name of his or her entity and its distinctive signs, information relating to the Call for Solutions, as well as the content of his or her Deliverables relating to the Call for Solutions. Each shortlisted Participant also authorizes the Banque de France and Campus Cyber to use the photographs taken during the Call for Solutions in any communication media.

This use does not entitle the Participant tò any remuneration, nor does it require any additional consent from the Participant. The Banque de France and Campus Cyber expressly undertake to cease all use of the above-mentioned items in connection with the Participant at the end of the aforementioned period.

 

9.     Confidentiality

In general terms, by submitting a Deliverable, the Participant acknowledges and accepts that the information contained therein may be disclosed to the public by the Banque de France and/or the Campus Cyber.

Furthermore, the Participant acknowledges that the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber may develop on their behalf, or receive from third parties, information similar to that contained in one of the Deliverables. Accordingly, nothing in these Rules prohibits Banque de France and Campus Cyber from independently acquiring, independently developing, or having independently developed products, concepts, systems, services, or techniques similar to or which may compete with the products, concepts, systems, services, or techniques that a Deliverable presents or provides for.

Participant acknowledges that other Participants may have provided or may provide in the future to Banque de France and Campus Cyber or to third parties, or may have disclosed to the public or will disclose, content similar or identical to information contained in a Deliverable. Consequently, the Participant acknowledges and accepts that the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber have the right to use said similar or identical content, and that the Participant shall not be entitled to any compensation as a result of the use of said content by the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber.

 

10.  Intellectual property rights

Definitions. For the purposes of this section:

• “Intellectual Property Rights" means any copyright or other rights relating to a trademark, design or model, patent, software and, more generally, any item (including business secrets and know-how) that may be protected by national and/or international laws, or by conventions relating to intellectual property ("Intellectual Property Rights");
• “Prior rights" meansany intellectual property rights and/or any associated know-how held by the Participants prior to the start date of the Call for Solutions ("the Prior Rights");
• “Creations" meansany software (including source code and object code), database, technical specification, text, design, model, information, knowledge, method, process or product, as well as any element and/or process resulting therefrom, developed by a Participant as part of a Deliverable submitted during the Call for Solutions and which may be protected or is likely to be protected by virtue of the national and/or international laws and conventions relating to intellectual property in force ("the Creations").

Guarantee of non-infringement. By submitting a Deliverable, at any stage of the Call for Solutions, each Participant guarantees Banque de France and Campus Cyber that they are the co-owner and/or co-titleholder of the Intellectual Property Rights relatied to all or part of the Creations contained in the Deliverables, and that they have obtained all the necessary rights and authorisations relatied to these Creations, whether pre-existing or belonging to a third party, as stated in article 6.

Each Participant guarantees that: (i) its contributions do not infringe the rights of any third party; (ii) all the elements making up its contributions and all the information communicated in the Deliverables are accurate, reliable and complete; and (iii) the submission of the Deliverables does not constitute an act of unfair competition.

Participants must precise the source of all pre-existing Creations included in the submitted Deliverables. Any Deliverable that has been developed by several Participants constitutes a collaborative work and should be treated as such under the applicable rules in force.

Liability. Banque de France and Campus Cyber may under no circumstances be held liable in the event of a breach by Participants of the above provisions. Each Participant shall indemnify Banque de France and Campus Cyber in the event of claims, oppositions, actions, or attempted eviction by a third party relating to any of the Creations contained in the Deliverables (including the associated intellectual property rights).

By submitting a Deliverable and participating in this call for contributions, the participant do not grant Banque de France and Campus Cyber any intellectual property rights relating to all or part of the Deliverable, with the exception of the provisions of Articles 9 and 10 of these Rules.

 

11.  Amendment of the Rules, Suspension and cancellation of the Call for Solutions

Update of the Rules. The Banque de France and Campus Cyber reserve the right to modify the provisions of the Rules at any time, including the duration of the Call for Solutions if operational imperatives so require, without the application or validity of such modifications requiring any notification to the Participant. The Participant is invited to consult the Rules regularly. The Participant expressly waives any claim or dispute relating to any modification made to the Rules by the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber.

In the event that one or more provisions of the Rules are deemed illegal, null and void, unenforceable or inapplicable by a court decision, the other provisions of the Rules shall remain in force.

Suspension or cancellation of the Call for Solutions. Banque de France and Campus Cyber reserve the right, at their discretion, (i) to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Call for Solutions and the Rules, for any reason whatsoever, at any time and without liability, and (ii) to limit or restrict participation in the Call for Solutions. The Banque de France and Campus Cyber shall not be held liable for the modification, cancellation or suspension of the Call for Solutions and no compensation or remuneration shall be due to the Participant.

 

12.  Limitation of liability

The Banque de France and Campus Cyber cannot be held responsible for any disruptions to the Internet network or for access difficulties due to a large number of connections or Participants. They may in no way be held responsible for communication or access interruptions, loss of data, computer viruses or any direct or indirect prejudice whatsoever that may be suffered by a Participant before, during or after his or her participation in the Call for Solutions.

The Banque de France and Campus Cyber shall not be held liable for any facts or damages not directly or indirectly attributable to them, in particular those resulting from errors or delays in the submission of Deliverables by the Participant, including refusal to accept such Deliverables due to their submission outside the scheduled dates, damages resulting from errors or delays in the sending of e-mails by the Participant in connection with the Call for Solutions, as well as damages resulting from any alteration made to the Deliverables beyond the control of Banque de France and Campus Cyber, or from an event of force majeure likely to disrupt, modify or cancel the Call for Solutions.

The Participant hereby waives any and all recourse against the Banque de France and the Campus Cyber and their employees for damages and/or prejudice he/she may suffer in connection with the Call for Solutions.

Banque de France and Campus Cyber shall in no way be held liable for the consequences of the disqualification of a Participant due to the latter's violation of the Rules.

 

13.  Protection of personal data 

Participation in the Call for Solutions requires the communication of the Participant's personal data ("the Personal Data").

The Participant is invited to consult the data protection policy available at this address.

 

14.  Applicable law and dispute resolution

The Rules and specifications of the Call for Solutions are subject to French law.

In the event of a dispute persisting beyond a period of fifteen (15) days after the Participant has made a claim, the Banque de France and/or Campus Cyber and the Participant agree to submit their dispute to amicable conciliation prior to any legal proceedings. The party wishing to initiate conciliation must inform the other party by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt of its intentions and the reasons for them. If no agreement is reached between the parties within thirty (30) days of receipt of the registered letter, the parties will regain their freedom of action.

In the event of persistent disagreement over the application or interpretation of the Regulations and/or specifications, and failing any amicable agreement, any dispute that may arise between the parties shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent Paris courts.

 

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