AGENZIA DELLE DOGANE E DEI MONOPOLI

Their core work

Italy's national customs and monopolies agency, responsible for managing customs controls, excise duties, and cross-border trade regulation. In EU research projects, they contribute real-world operational expertise in border inspection, cargo screening, and trade compliance. Their participation brings the perspective of an end-user authority that must implement and validate new technologies in live customs environments. Most recently, they have engaged in blockchain-based product traceability for circular economy and trade certification.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 involvement (2015–2018) centered squarely on physical border security — improving human performance in border guarding (BODEGA) and container inspection technologies (C-BORD). After a gap, their most recent project (TRICK, 2021–2024) marks a clear pivot toward digital trade infrastructure: blockchain, data traceability, and circular economy compliance. This shift mirrors the broader customs modernization trend from physical inspection toward digital-first supply chain verification.

Moving from physical border inspection toward digital supply chain verification and blockchain-based customs compliance — expect continued interest in DLT, digital product passports, and automated trade certification.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for a public authority contributing domain expertise and end-user validation rather than driving research agendas. They work in large consortia (67 unique partners across just 3 projects), indicating comfort in broad, multi-actor collaborations. Their role is best understood as a regulatory end-user who provides real operational environments for testing and validating research outputs.

Despite only 3 projects, they have collaborated with 67 unique partners across 19 countries, reflecting the large consortium sizes typical of EU security and traceability projects. Their network spans most of Europe without a strong geographic concentration beyond Italy.

What sets them apart

As Italy's national customs authority, they offer something most research partners cannot: direct access to real customs operations, regulatory insight, and the ability to pilot technologies in a live border and trade environment. For any project needing end-user validation in customs, trade compliance, or cross-border goods movement, they are one of the few organizations that can provide authoritative operational feedback. Their recent blockchain involvement signals openness to digital innovation, making them a valuable bridge between regulatory requirements and emerging technologies.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TRICK
  Their largest funded project (€267,750) and a strategic pivot into blockchain-based product traceability and circular economy — their most recent and forward-looking work.
• C-BORD
  Directly aligned with their core customs mandate — developing effective container inspection at border control points, where they served as a key end-user authority.