IOTA and Teesside University create first practical TWIN system application
- IOTA and Teesside University are bringing the TWIN system into real operation. It builds on UK Government projects from 2025.
- TWIN is used as part of the Digital Trade Testbed infrastructure at Teesside International Airport.
The IOTA Foundation and the Teesside University are starting a comprehensive cooperation to put the TWIN system – an application based on IOTA technology for the digital exchange of trading data – into operational use.
Four government employees were seconded to the IOTA Foundation for a year to develop concrete pilot applications together with industry, port authorities and border points.
Timely data – fast processing
The tests so far show that digital processes enable significant gains in efficiency. Today, many trade documents only reach the authorities shortly before the goods arrive – too late to correct errors in time.
This leads to delays, a lot of manual effort and unnecessary storage of goods at the borders. With TWIN, data can be made available up to 20 hours earlier, reducing error rates, reducing costs and increasing transparency.
According to British experts, digitized documents could save up to £1.2 billion a year and reduce processing time by up to 75%. A 2024 LSE study also estimates that digitalization of trade could increase UK GDP by 1.3%.
Open infrastructure for accurate supply chain data
The TWIN system combines the British government’s open information sharing architecture with a new supply chain platform developed by IOTA. The aim is a secure, authorization-based, cross-border data exchange.
It integrates into existing government systems and enables more detailed advance information, for example on the type and origin of goods. This means that risks can be better assessed, resources can be used more specifically and compliant deliveries can be processed more quickly.
For the industry, it means less bureaucracy, automated data collection via open APIs and the ability to store documents, such as invoices, as legally valid electronic commercial documents (ETDs) on the IOTA ledger.
Scalable implementation in the Digital Trade Testbed
With the integration into the Digital Trade Testbed, a physical-digital environment is created for the first time in which new technologies can be tested and scaled under real conditions.
Teesside University provides infrastructure and industry connections, while the IOTA Foundation provides technical expertise and works closely with seconded government staff.
The tests remain open to other partners from business, science and administration – a consciously collaborative approach, as the modernization of global trade processes can only succeed with the interaction of all those involved.
The partnership marks the decisive step towards a modern, interoperable and efficient trading system that can show how open DLT infrastructures can create concrete economic benefits.
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