Building swift trust in supply chains: bridging technology with social interactions

Project overview

This workshop explored how technology can help build trust quickly—what we termed "swift trust"—within supply chains and other collaborative environments.

It was held as a one-day workshop on 27th March 2025 and brought together a diverse and multidisciplinary group of academics and practitioners to discuss identity, privacy, security, and trust. The key goal was to examine how digital tools, such as AI and blockchain, might accelerate trust-building while still preserving the human, relational elements that traditional trust depends on.

The day began with a welcome from the lead organisers, Dr Aniekan Essien and Dr Nikolai Kazantsev, who set the scene by highlighting the importance of trust in today’s digital landscape. This was followed by a keynote from Dr Svetlana Abramova on how blockchain and digital currencies affect trust—either as enablers or barriers. Participants then split into three themed parallel sessions covering swift trust in supply chains, the impact of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) on SMEs, and social design for trust in digital ecosystems. After lunch, Prof Palie Smart (Associate PVC Global Engagement, University of Bristol) gave a brief talk and Prof Mark Elliot framed the project within broader data science themes. A lively panel discussion brought together all speakers to debate how trust can be built through the interplay of technology and human interaction. The day ended with closing remarks and an afternoon tea, allowing participants to network informally.

Participants found the event engaging, timely, and intellectually stimulating. One attendee noted that the "group discussion (parallel sessions) was great" and allowed for "meaningful dialogue between people with similar interests." Another praised the keynote and panel for offering "great insights and networking opportunities." Many valued the diverse audience and the event’s practical relevance, with one participant saying, “It was useful to meet such a diverse group of people around the topic of trust.” Others highlighted how well-organised the event was and how the “presentations by the speakers were quite enlightening and inspiring.” The afternoon tea was particularly appreciated for fostering relaxed, informal conversations. A recurring theme in the feedback was the importance of balancing technological advancement with human judgement— “Building swift trust should be done with utmost caution... technology should enable, not replace, the human element.”

Overall, the forum laid a strong foundation for future academic work. Based on ideas collectively gathered at the event, the team is currently developing three research studies inspired by the discussions.

1. "Navigating Between Socially-enabled and Technology-enabled Trust in Supply Chains: The Trade-off, Intersection, and Synergy Potential."

2. "Raising Capability of Public-Private Partnerships During Major Disruptions: A “Swift Trust” Building Process” 

3. "Orchestrating Trust in Innovation Ecosystems."

These outputs aim to extend the impact of the forum and deepen understanding of trust in technology-rich environments.

The organisers brought together a diverse community to openly discuss trust and technology to discuss trust and technology openly, and demonstrated that trust is an important, yet slightly overseen overlooked topic in TIPS. The event had an exceptional success in fostering meaningful, multidisciplinary dialogue and collaboration around the theme of trust in technology and innovation. Participants consistently highlighted the value of engaging with a diverse group of experts and stakeholders, which facilitated insightful discussions and networking opportunities. “The group discussion (parallel sessions) was great. I gained significant insight from the parallel session, which facilitated meaningful dialogue between people with similar interests. Also, having the panel discussion was a great way to engage and ask questions or share views on the day's discussions.” (Participant 8)

Key positive outcomes include:

1. Attendees appreciated the opportunity to interact with a broad range of participants, including universities of Bristol, Sussex, University of West England, Nottingham University, Edinburgh Napier University, Queen’s University Belfast, University College London, Harper-Adams, Cardiff University and an international speaker from the Austrian Institute of Technology, which enriched the conversation around trust and innovation.

2. The parallel sessions and panel discussions were particularly valued for enabling deep, focused dialogue and the exchange of ideas relevant to both research and practice.

3. The event’s organisation, including informal networking opportunities like afternoon tea, created a welcoming space for building connections and trust among participants.

Project outputs

Three academic papers will acknowledge the funding.