( cd ~/project/u-name-it; cp_or_mv file ver1-file )

base=base-path cp_or_mv $base/file $base/ver1-file

# Untested, test well before using; should work in zsh & bash IFIAC
# usage:
#   bup directory [files...]
function bup
{
     local dir=$1
     shift
     for file; do
       cp $dir/$file $dir/ver1-$file
     done
}