DHS Awards Nearly $200,000 for Testing Import Tracking Through Blockchain

Transmute Industries will develop a “proof-of-concept application” for CBP meant to help track imports of raw materials under a $198,642 award from the federal government, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) said in a Nov. 8 news release. S&T is looking at the possibility of using blockchain to “issue credentials digitally to enhance security, ensure interoperability and prevent forgery and counterfeiting,” it said. The award is the latest of several efforts by the government examining a role for blockchain within customs, including a collaboration with University of Houston and Texas A&M University (see 1910160023).

As part of Transmute's " “Phase 1” award, the company will “adapt Transmute ID, its core technology product that leverages centralized and decentralized identity infrastructures to secure individual agency identities and verifiable credentials to ensure that CBP has visibility into the provenance, traceability and regulatory compliance of raw material imports,” it said. Specific raw goods mentioned by DHS are steel, timber and diamonds.

The award was made under S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP), which solicited applications on ways to prevent forgery and counterfeiting of certificates and licenses, it said. “The ability to construct a secure, digital, chain-of-custody mechanism for raw material imports is a critical aspect of enabling legitimate trade,” said Anil John, SVIP technical director. “Transmute’s combined centralized and decentralized approaches address this challenge and support global interoperability by utilizing emerging World Wide Web Consortium global standards.” DHS said “companies participating in SVIP are eligible for up to $800,000 of non-dilutive funding over four phases to develop and adapt commercial technologies for homeland security use cases.”