diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 3d1166c0cc96769c0934db219d59985455ce73d6..3a4d9cc3f99d12ba1da041b571f9dc8e389f8689 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ find_package(GaudiProject)
 #---------------------------------------------------------------
 
 # Declare project name and version
-gaudi_project(DaVinci v50r6
-              USE Analysis v30r6
-                  Stripping v15r1
+gaudi_project(DaVinci v51r0
+              USE Analysis v31r0
+                  Stripping v15r2
               DATA AppConfig VERSION v3r*
                    FieldMap VERSION v5r*
                    ParamFiles VERSION v8r*
diff --git a/ReleaseNotes/release_notes_template.md b/ReleaseNotes/release_notes_template.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..18f2eac1ac7dca0e0e29a6f70516a9f9daea9c23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ReleaseNotes/release_notes_template.md
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+{% set categories = [
+    'selection', 'hlt1', 'hlt2', 'Configuration',
+    'Decoding', 'Tracking', 'PV finding', 'Muon', 'Calo', 'RICH', 'Jets',
+    'PID', 'Composites', 'Filters', 'Functors',
+    'Event model', 'Persistency',
+    'MC checking', 'Monitoring', 'Luminosity',
+    'Core', 'Conditions', 'Utilities',
+    'Simulation',  'Tuples', 'Accelerators',
+    'Flavour tagging',
+    'Build',
+    ] -%}
+{% set used_mrs = [] -%}
+{% set used_dep_mrs = [] -%}
+{% set highlight_mrs = select_mrs(get_dep_mrs(), ['highlight']) -%}
+{% macro section(labels, mrs=merge_requests, used=used_mrs, indent='', highlight='highlight') -%}
+{% for mr in order_by_label(select_mrs(mrs, labels, used), categories) -%}
+  {% set mr_labels = categories|select("in", mr.labels)|list -%}
+{{indent}}- {% if mr_labels %}{{mr_labels|map('label_ref')|join(' ')}} | {% endif -%}
+    {{mr.title|sentence}}, {{mr|mr_ref(project_fullname)}} (@{{mr.author.username}}){% if mr.issue_refs %} [{{mr.issue_refs|join(',')}}]{% endif %}{% if highlight in mr.labels %} :star:{% endif %}
+{# {{mr.description|mdindent(2)}} -#}
+{% endfor -%}
+{% endmacro -%}
+{{date}} {{project}} {{version}}
+===
+
+This version uses
+{{project_deps[:-1]|join(',\n')}} and
+{{project_deps|last}}.
+
+This version is released on `master` branch.
+Built relative to {{project}} [{{project_prev_tag}}](../-/tags/{{project_prev_tag}}), with the following changes:
+
+### New features ~"new feature"
+
+{{ section(['new feature']) -}}
+- Upstream project highlights :star:
+{{ section(['new feature'], mrs=highlight_mrs, used=used_dep_mrs, indent='  ', highlight=None) }}
+
+### Fixes ~"bug fix" ~workaround
+
+{{ section(['bug fix', 'workaround']) -}}
+- Upstream project highlights :star:
+{{ section(['bug fix', 'workaround'], mrs=highlight_mrs, used=used_dep_mrs, indent='  ', highlight=None) }}
+
+### Enhancements ~enhancement
+
+{{ section(['enhancement']) -}}
+- Upstream project highlights :star:
+{{ section(['enhancement'], mrs=highlight_mrs, used=used_dep_mrs, indent='  ', highlight=None) }}
+
+### Code cleanups and changes to tests ~modernisation ~cleanup ~testing
+
+{{ section(['cleanup', 'modernisation', 'testing']) -}}
+- Upstream project highlights :star:
+{{ section(['cleanup'], mrs=highlight_mrs, used=used_dep_mrs, indent='  ', highlight=None) }}
+
+### Documentation ~Documentation
+
+{# Collect documentation independently, may lead to repeated entries -#}
+{{ section(['Documentation'], used=None) -}}
+{# Mark as used such documentation does not appear under Other -#}
+{% set dummy = section(['Documentation']) -%}
+
+### Other
+
+{{ section([[]]) }}
diff --git a/ReleaseNotes/v51r0.md b/ReleaseNotes/v51r0.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..71f82185df171bf0b0f6a29ac4463b7b565d27a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ReleaseNotes/v51r0.md
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+2020-02-28 DaVinci v51r0
+===
+
+This version uses
+Stripping [v15r2](../../Stripping/-/tags/v15r2),
+Analysis [v31r0](../../Analysis/-/tags/v31r0),
+Phys [v31r0](../../Phys/-/tags/v31r0),
+Rec [v31r0](../../Rec/-/tags/v31r0),
+Lbcom [v31r0](../../Lbcom/-/tags/v31r0),
+LHCb [v51r0](../../LHCb/-/tags/v51r0),
+Gaudi [v33r0](../../../gaudi/Gaudi/-/tags/v33r0) and
+LCG [96b](http://lcginfo.cern.ch/release/96b/) with ROOT 6.18.04.
+
+This version is released on `master` branch.
+Built relative to DaVinci [v50r6](../-/tags/v50r6), with the following changes:
+
+### New features ~"new feature"
+
+- Upstream project highlights :star:
+  - ~Composites ~Filters ~"Event model" | "SOA Particle" + combiner and filter to use it with, Phys!633 (@nnolte)
+  - ~Filters | Add TOSFilter algorithm, Phys!621 (@apearce)
+
+
+### Enhancements ~enhancement
+
+- Upstream project highlights :star:
+  - ~PID | ChargedProtoANNPID - Remove all Run 1+2 MVAs, improve thread safety., Rec!1894 (@jonrob)
+  - ~Build | Minimize new refs produced by validateWithRef, LHCb!2260 (@rmatev)
+
+
+### Code cleanups and changes to tests ~modernisation ~cleanup ~testing
+
+- ~Filters | Set prescaler seed with explicit property, !370 (@apearce)
+- ~Build | Use latest CI tools for copyright and formatting checks., !371 (@apearce)
+- Upstream project highlights :star:
+  - ~Tracking | First go at removing Run2 specific code, Rec!1714 (@sponce)