The European Commission has announced the launch of a blockchain project that will explore existing, emerging, and potential applications of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) in non-financial / industry sectors.

The initiative, “#Blockchain4EU: Blockchain for Industrial Transformations”, has been launched by the EC’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship & SMEs (DG GROW). The project will run until February 2018.

“Many [blockchain] applications are at an early stage, however, and we need already to identify areas where the impact may be most significant and discuss potential challenges with stakeholders. Therefore, we are launching this project together with the JRC’s EU Policy Lab to be better prepared to unlock the new opportunities provided by these technologies for industrial transformations and mitigate potential risks”, Slawomir Tokarski, DG GROW’s Director of Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing, said.

The JRC’s EU Policy Lab will combine its key competences in foresight, behavioural insights, and design for policy to explore and assess blockchain applications. The project primarily aims to identify, discuss, and communicate possible uses and impacts of DLT objects, networks, and services within the EU industrial or business contexts, from supply chains and assets monitoring, to intellectual property rights and authentication or certification. Key objectives are:

• Map and analyse existing, emerging or potential Blockchain and other DLT applications for industry across specific areas;
• Scan for and explore future scenarios of production, distribution and use;
• Identify and assess prospective regulatory actions and broader policy and funding options at business and manufacturing levels.

#Blockchain4EU will make use of a toolbox ranging from horizon scanning and behavioural insights to collaborative creation and speculative design, through desk and field research, stakeholder engagement, and a series of co-creation workshops.

The main outputs will contribute to explore future sociotechnical scenarios of production, distribution and use, and assess risks and opportunities for development and uptake, with a key focus on SMEs and on innovation and competitiveness. They will also help to shape options for regulatory, funding, and other broader EU policy responses considering collaborative, decentralized, peer-to-peer and social innovation models.