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The US Department of Homeland Security is trying to fund anti-counterfeiting solutions from startup blockchain with grants of up to $ 800,000.
DHS, through its Science and Technology Directorate (S & T) unit, announced non-dilutive financing, to be divided into four phases, on Tuesday through its Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP). Non-dilutive financing means that an entity does not need to sell shares to receive funding.
The funding program is linked to the DHS in November solicitation – "Preventing counterfeiting and falsification of certificates and licenses" – through which the agency is trying to improve its capacity to prevent false documentation using blockchain technology.
"DHS needs innovations from this community to ensure that we are at least one step ahead of national security threats," said Melissa Oh, managing director of SVIP.
To obtain a grant, the blockchain start-ups must present proposed solutions that cover various use cases, including the issue of digital documents related to travel, citizenship, immigration and authorization for use as well as cross-border movements of oil and raw materials.
The funding is open to startups and small businesses that have not had a government contract in the last year for a total of $ 1 million or more and who have fewer than 200 employees at the time of application, the DHS indicates.
"The comprehensive mission of Homeland Security includes the need to issue rights, licenses and certifications for a variety of purposes, including travel, citizenship, employment admissibility, immigration status and supply chain security", stated Anil John, SVIP technical director.
He added:
"Understanding the feasibility and usefulness of the use of blockchain technology and digital distribution accounting for what are currently paper-based credentials is critical to preventing their loss, destruction, forgery and counterfeiting ".
DHS has been interested in blockchain technology as early as 2015 when it started accepting small business research proposals to better understand blockchain technology. More recently, the agency released a pre-solicitation document that discusses the use of cryptocurrencies and whether it is possible to track transactions conducted using private currencies such as monero and zcash.
Image of DHS vehicle through Shutterstock
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