Seamless Trade Across Borders Challenge with the ICC

International trade remains heavily dependent on paper-based processes and fragmented digital systems, creating significant barriers to efficient trade. Despite advances in digital technology, the global trade ecosystem has been slow to modernise, leaving businesses to deal with complex, time-consuming, and error-prone processes.

Currently international supply chains struggle with disconnected systems across government departments, isolated company databases, and limited coordination between key stakeholders including customs authorities, port operators, banks, and logistics providers. This fragmentation creates information silos that prevent the seamless flow of data essential for modern commerce.

The ICC and the International Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation (iC4DTI) is looking to support a digital technology solution to further enable digitisation of the supply chain by reducing paper-based processes. The solution should enable automated data extraction from PDFs to digital formats and share data between different digital formats. This will enable efficient data sharing between multiple stakeholders including UK customs (HMRC), port authorities, banking systems, and international partners while maintaining compliance with multiple regulatory frameworks.

Key issues the solution should address include: 

• Paper overload and manual processes – Eliminate manual data entry across trade documents per transaction and automate compliance checking through automated data extraction from PDFs to digital repositories  

• Fragmented systems and poor data flow – Enable better flow of data across different compliance systems, anticipating changes to regulations such as ESG, Rules of Origin and CBAM  

• System integration and interoperability – build APIs connecting HMRC, ports, and international customs with standardized formats enabling real-time sharing and end-to-end visibility 

• Scalability – how can solutions be implemented with minimal effort from and cost to traders, especially the SME sector 

The solution should deliver measurable benefits to UK businesses – such as faster clearance times, improved access to finance, and reduced compliance costs – by demonstrating:

• Automated data extraction and validation from business systems (e.g. ERP, finance, inventory)
• Structured trade data capture with minimal manual input (e.g. product codes, origin certificates)
• Dashboards for tracking documentation end-to-end by authorised parties
• Demonstrating secure, multi-stakeholder data flows between simulated global businesses, regulators, tax authorities (e.g. HMRC) and financial institutions
• Assurance to users that data can be safely and securely contributed to digital systems and protected from unauthorised access
• Provide a route to large-scale implementation and demonstrate a clear step towards an entirely digital experience for international traders in the medium term

• Access to data packets provided by ICC United Kingdom and the International Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation (iC4DTI) 

• Access to ICC United Kingdom and the International Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation (iC4DTI) digital trade standards and data formats 

• A clear vision of the target data flow across systems 

• Pay-to-access Teesside Digital Testbed facility for testing solution.

It is intended that the solutions of the tech innovators would leverage cutting edge (but proven) technology where possible and appropriate, resulting in good outcomes. These technology areas are (including but not limited to): Artificial Intelligence; Distributed Ledger Technology; Advanced (Self Sovereign) Identity and Verifiable Credentialing Solutions; Digital Product Passports, Privacy Enhancing Technologies etc.

The tech innovators should highlight which specific technologies they are proposing to use in the solutions that would result in maximising the desired outcomes. The explanation should also highlight why such advanced technology is appropriate in the particular context.

• Applicants must be eligible to receive £100,000 in State Assistance (further details can be found in the Competition T&Cs).
• Applicants must have a UK business bank account for any payments to be made.
• Applicants must be a UK based registered company, or prove they have an establishment in the UK and undertake the majority of the activity in the UK.
  
• Applicants must be considered as either an early-stage company or scaleup business with a proposed solution/ product/ service at the Technology Readiness Level 5-7 (TRL 5-7).
  
• Build an MVP against the chosen industrial challenge working together with the Industry Challenge Owner.
• Provide a minimum Co-investment of £100,000 (“Co-investment”) There are various categories of Co-investment which can be considered. The Co-investment covers the value for money and cost to deliver the technology solutions. Please refer to the FAQs to find further information on what Co-investment we are looking for. Applicants are required to submit a document demonstrating details of the Co-investment when the application is submitted (Digital Catapult will provide a template for completion).
• The team must be able to attend all key events below (please note dates are subject to change):
  Programme Kick-off event (in-person) – Nov 2025
  Final Showcase event (in-person) – March 2026 

• Attend the majority (80%+) of the workshops, progress check-in meetings/calls, and/or webinars hosted by the Digital Catapult Supply Chain Hub
• Showcase tech solution developed in the programme – Digital Catapult does not take ownership of your Intellectual property developed on the programme, however we do require you to present your solution for the challenge at the Showcase event and other programme related activities.
• Applicants must develop solutions enabled by at least one of the technologies from the Advanced Digital Technology Stack: Artificial Intelligence, Immersive, Internet of Things, Distributed Ledger Technologies and 5G/Future Networks.
• Participant agrees to be visibly (name and logo) associated with the programme, whilst on the programme and afterwards as a former participant and beneficiary.  This includes marketing collateral, such as social posts, print and digital materials. 

Note: Lead company 

• You may enter as a collaborative team, but there must be a lead company that will contract with us and get paid.
• All other collaborators involved must be named in the application process. It is the responsibility of the lead company to arrange any collaboration agreements or subcontracts as necessary and to comply with the International Supply Chain Accelerator terms and conditions.
• Your collaborators may be with international companies.
• You can be named as a collaborator on more than one application but can only be a ‘lead’ company once.
• We may carry out due diligence on the lead and any collaboration companies so they must be willing to submit documentation upon request (including but not limited to, bank account statements for the business and personal references).

Challenge & Solution [25%]
The applicant’s idea should be realistic, well-developed and demonstrate a strong vision and application to the chosen challenge with consideration to the market fit and context. It shows a good understanding of the problem and the solution is clearly identified  and with relevance to the supply chain sector and the challenge objectives. The idea presented should  apply suitable advanced digital technologies in a supply chain context and the product is at a suitable technology readiness level (TRL 5 – 7) according to the challenge brief.  

Team Experience (25%)
The team demonstrates they are equipped with the appropriate technology and business skills, and show strong evidence that they can develop and deliver the proposed solution within the timeframe and budget/funding of the programme.

Technical Feasibility (25%)
The proposed idea is at the TRL 5 – 7 level, with potential for progression to TRL 6-8 at the end of the programme. The technical delivery of the proposal is feasible and provides a clear added value to the ICO. All evidence is outlined in a well thought through Product Development Roadmap.

Growth Potential (25%) 

The idea demonstrates some scalability and has the potential to succeed beyond the programme in its full range of capabilities at a growing scale. The idea is likely to be suitable for further funding stages of development and funding opportunities. 

1. Applicants must apply via the application form linked from this page.
2. As part of the application, you will be asked to demonstrate that you meet the conditional requirements for the Seamless Trade Across Borders Challenge with ICC.
3. Once you start your application you will have until 23:59 GMT on Tuesday 23 September 2025 to submit your application. Once submitted you will not be able to make any edits.
4. If you wish to apply for the Seamless Trade Across Borders Challenge with Leonardo UK with the same technology solution, please make this clear in your application. If an organisation wishes to apply with more than one technology solution, please submit an additional application form per solution.
5. Should you require any assistance with the application you can reach out to [email protected] to explore the suitability of your idea for the challenges.