Applied Research Solutions has been selected as an BLOCKSTART SME Adopter after the Open Call #3 in July 2021.

BlockStart is a European partnership program looking for startups and SMEs – from all over the EU and H2020 associated countries – working with blockchain and other DLTs. Its main objective is to facilitate goal-oriented, business-focused, and mutually beneficial partnerships between DLT/blockchain solution providers and end-users SMEs.

BlockStart launches several Open Calls for applications in fintech, ICT and retail. This 3-stage intensive mentor-led program starts with the Ideation Kick-off, after which the most successful blockchain/DLT solution providers are admitted to a 4 months Prototype phase aimed at supporting the product/market fit. Finally, during the Pilot phase (2 months), startups/SMEs working with blockchain and other DLTs will have a unique opportunity to validate their solutions by piloting their innovations with end-users.

The main use case that we currently envision, in conjunction with our profile and activities, is related to the trustworthy validation of inputs and outputs of an industrial data science pipeline. On the input side we consider the anti-tampering validation of the input datasets that might come from both trusted or unknown third-parties. Low-quality or misleading data can decrease the effectiveness of the processing algorithms and expose then to potential edge conditions. Validation of the output refers to securing the prediction model structure and inference results against malicious actors across the analysis and processing chain. This is a critical aspect when dealing with potentially large scale safety, economic and environmental damages in industrial plants. This conceptual description can be associated to two relevant use cases in industry and energy:

– Data-driven modelling of highly connected flexbile manufacturing systems – integration of the blockchain solution with an existing pilot flexible manufacturing line with new Industry 4.0 automation components and open source modules;

– Load forecasting and anomaly detection for energy management with local control – testing the blockchain layer on intelligent building automation systems for increasing the security and reliability of the operational predictions and classifications.

In the Blockstart pilot phase, we collaborated with Blocktac S.L. between December 2021 and February 2022 to implement and validate a blockchain data mangement layer for a flexible assembly line system using customized hardware and dedicated APIs.

Inside BlockStart programme – a look back from Applied Research Solutions