The Digital Product Regulatory Innovation Network (DPRIN) is a community of researchers from industry and academia interested in understanding how we can improve safety of products sold online.  We are interested in evaluating new tools, policies and practices that can improve regulation of online sales by making compliance with standards cheaper, faster, and easier. The project is a joint collaboration between Oxford Brookes University, University of Cambridge, University of Leeds, Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), and the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), funded by UKRI. 

Our first area of focus is understanding how modern digital tools could help Online Marketplaces (OMPs), Manufacturers and Importers meet product safety rules and regulations whilst ensuring minimal burden on businesses. OMPs are increasingly being required to carry out more due diligence on the compliance of the products being sold on their platforms. However, OMPs frequently cannot trust that information they are supplied with is valid, correct, or sufficient to meet the required standards. 

Over the past ten months, the DPRIN team has been conducting a series of workshops centered around regulation of online selling of products, potential technical solutions to increase transparency, and the future of supply chains particularly with the introduction of new legislation.