DHS awards Austin company contract to develop proof-of-concept application for CBP

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently awarded Transmute Industries, an Austin, Texas-based company, a $198,642 Phase 1 award to develop a proof-of-concept application for Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The application must support increased automation, transparency, and security when processing raw materials entering the United States.

“The ability to construct a secure, digital, chain-of-custody mechanism for raw material imports is a critical aspect of enabling legitimate trade.” Anil John, S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) technical director, said. “Transmute’s combined centralized and decentralized approaches address this challenge and support global interoperability by utilizing emerging World Wide Web Consortium global standards.”

Transmute builds identity management solutions that use blockchain technology to streamline and enforce identity authorization. S&T is seeking blockchain applications that prevent forgery and counterfeiting, digitally enhance security and ensure interoperability.

The award, “Verifiable Provenance, Traceability, and Regulatory Compliance for Raw Material Imports,” was made under SVIP Other Transaction Solicitation Preventing Forgery & Counterfeiting of Certificates and Licenses. The program seeks blockchain and distributed ledger technology solutions to common needs throughout the department.

Transmute will adapt its main technology product to ensure CBP has traceability and regulatory compliance of raw material imports.