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The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on December 4, 2018, they are allocating $ 800,000 in funding for blockchain-based solutions that prevent the counterfeiting and counterfeiting of digital documents.
They published the initiative through the unit of the Department of Science and Technology (S & T) of the DHS unit. The plans involve the distribution of $ 800,000 in more than 4 phases through the Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP).
This initiative aims to improve the anti-counterfeiting and counterfeiting capabilities for digital documentation, which originates from the November DHS solicitation entitled "Preventing counterfeiting and counterfeiting of certificates and licenses".
The solicitation explains the interest of DHS in the interoperable implementations of blockchain e Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) is helpful in the following DHS components and operational programs:
- US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Commenting on this new initiative, Melissa Oh, the CEO of SVIP He said:
DHS needs innovations from this community to ensure that we are at least one step ahead of threats to national security … By releasing this solicitation, we ask the innovation community to contribute to this work through the application of commercial solutions for the use of national security – Cases.
To add the comments above, S & T SVIP technical director Anil John issued an official statement in the press release:
Homeland Security's broad mission includes the need to issue rights, licenses and certifications for a variety of purposes including travel, citizenship, employment eligibility, immigration status, and supply chain security. Understand the feasibility and usefulness of the use of Blockchain e [DLT] because the digital issue of what are currently paper credentials is essential to prevent losses, destruction, forgery and counterfeiting.
Eligibility for the $ 800,000 grant
Any small business or startup is eligible for the grant if it has less than 200 employees and has not had a government contract totaling $ 1 million or more in the last 12 months.
Therefore, many of the current cryptocurrency projects we know that today they are eligible for the concession.
The problems that DHS wants candidates to focus on and resolve must be for at least one of the following use cases:
- Identity documents for travel
- Identity of organizations and organizational delegates
- Tribal identity documents for the trip
- Citizenship
- Immigration and authorization for employment
- Monitoring of cross-border oil imports
- Origin of imports of raw materials.
Start-ups and companies participating in SVIP can benefit from non-dilutive funding of up to $ 800,000, meaning that participants will not have to sell shares to receive funding. They will distribute the financing in 4 phases, in which they have not yet released details of these phases.
As noted in the press release, they do not guarantee tender contracts for successful candidates with DHS or any of its components including CBP, USCIS and TSA.
What cryptocurrency projects, startups or small businesses do you think will apply for this concession? Please let us know in the comments section below?
