Inside BlockStart programme – a look back from Applied Research Solutions

Applied Research Solutions provides data science software development alongside research and development consulting and training services for several customers.

As part of their journey on BlockStart’s 3rd Acceleration Programme, as an SME adopter, they were looking for new opportunities for collaboration with technology providers of DLT/blockchain solutions that could improve their business. This is the testimonial of their experience in our programme.

In one paragraph, what is Applied Research Solutions?

Applied Research Solutions is a new start-up company founded in 2020 which provides data science software development alongside research and development consulting and training services for several customers. The focus area of the company is on industry and energy applications in order to improve productivity, reduce waste and achieve energy efficiency. This is realised through a mix of advanced analytical models and core domain expertise that allows efficient development and real impact. To support this approach, the company staff consists of experienced research scientists and external collaborators to provide high value services. We integrate open source libraries, frameworks and tools together with commercial applications to provide cost-optimized solutions.

What is Applied Research Solutions passionate about achieving?

The mission of the company is to drive the adoption of data-driven innovations in mostly risk-averse and conservative industries from manufacturing, food processing, oil and gas, power generation and utilities. We aim to provide tangible benefits to our customers by blending advanced machine learning algorithms with deep domain expertise and a hands-on approach to each project. We aim to build trust in the provided solutions both at the technological level and where human factors are involved. Reliable software development, a research-based approach and customer training, all support our mission.

Can you tell us why you have decided to apply to BlockStart’s 3rd Call for end-user SMEs?

The main motivation was to go beyond the hype, discover and connect with people and companies working at the cutting edge of blockchain technology. We also aimed at building out a network of blockchain experts and suppliers that we can rely on in future joint projects. An important factor was also to learn first-hand about the tangible benefits of DLT/blockchain technologies in real-world applications. We were interested in finding more about the hardware and software complexity and cost of such solutions in conjunction with our specialised use cases in industry and energy.

What major challenges have you faced during the implementation/testing of BlockStart’s blockchain-based solution?

We collaborated with BlockTac for implementing a blockchain data certification layer for a pilot smart manufacturing assembly line. The steps of the collaboration included the joint definition of the system architecture, identification of the collected data sources and data types followed by the actual implementation. The main challenge was related to choosing between a locally deployed SBC system (Raspberry Pi or Siemens Nanobox PC) that runs the virtualized BlockTac software or a remote data collection solution for streaming the data via mqtt to the BlockTac servers.

What kind of impact do you think the blockchain-based solution you have implemented in the scope of BlockStart may bring to your company?

Having a tangible use case of industrial blockchain technology can improve our position towards our customers. This will also enhance our visibility and position in the market. Further collaboration with Blockstart ecosystem members is foreseen.

Where do you see your company in 5 years?

We aim to become an established and reliable provider of data science, research consulting and training services for mid-size and large industrial and energy companies.

Want to know more about the blockchain-based solution adopted by Applied Research Solutions?

Visit BlockTac’s webpage or watch the video below to learn more about the “Blockchain of Things Devices”, solution implemented by Applied Research Solutions in the scope of BlokStart’s 3rd Acceleration Programme.