Physical assuRance fOr diGital tRadE SyStems (PROGRESS)

The PROGRESS Digital Trade Testbed project aims to develop a core capability for testing the physical assurance of digital trade systems by tracking the physical location and transit of consignments and enabling interoperability with international digital trade data-handling systems.

A truly digital supply chain management system requires reliable links between the physical state, the location of consignments and the digital representation of each. Besides, the physical assurance of location, origin, and condition of physical supplies is a critical element of efficient, sustainable, and ESG-compliant supply chains. This testbed will enable us to mimic the movement and treatment of goods in anticipation of including such innovation in integrated digital environments in the future.

The testbed will also support testing by partners including HMRC to inform tax and future policy delivery. To create a usable system, PROGRESS will provide a testing ground for the hardware, software and other infrastructure that are required to map multiple data sources into actionable insights. PROGRESS will be demonstrated in a controlled environment because it is almost impossible to test across international trade routes at this early stage.

Therefore, the consortium will create a 5G-enabled testbed for digital trade at Teesside International Airport, which is part of the wider Tees Valley Freeport. Teesside Freeport is Britain's first operational and largest Freeport, comprising an airport and deep seaport. This unique offering will allow PROGRESS to model transit use cases for future capabilities and scalability.