Lancaster University researchers are building a new Artificial Intelligence platform to improve corporate modern slavery reporting and compliance with the UK Modern Slavery Act.

Project lead Dr Mahmoud Gad and Professor Steve Young, both of the Accounting and Finance Department in Lancaster University Management School (LUMS), have received £62,500 of commercialisation funding from the UKRI ESRC/AHRC SHAPE (Social sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) Catalyst through the Aspect Research Commercialisation (ARC) Accelerator.

Their Anti-Slavery Intelligence project is one of 16 from across the UK to be funded via the ARC Accelerator, which aims to turn research and theory into sustainable business models. It is one of two in LUMS, with the other tackling the issue of waste in packaging.

Dr Gad said: “There are more than 50 million people globally trapped in modern slavery, with 28 million in forced labour. According to Walk Free, the UK imports US$26.1 billion of products annually which are at risk of being made using forced labour. This is an issue of the utmost importance, and one that companies worldwide need to address.

“Our existing research shows that most UK businesses provide inadequate modern slavery disclosures. This AI-powered platform will assess compliance with the UK Modern Slavery Act, benchmark companies against best practices, and provide actionable recommendations to strengthen their anti-slavery efforts.”

ARC described all the successful bids as receiving funding to “transform their research ideas into sustainable and impactful ventures that will benefit society, the economy, and ultimately, improve the world around us.”

The tool developed by the Lancaster team will help companies score their modern slavery statement quality against best practice, benchmark against sector peers, get recommendations for improvement in their reporting practices, and prioritise actions across short, medium, and long-term timelines.

“Over the last decade, Lancaster University Management School has built up a recognised level of expertise both in terms of modern slavery and in terms of corporate reporting,” said Stephen King, Partnership Development Manager in LUMS.

“Through the ARC Accelerator funding, Dr Gad and Professor Young will be able to take the skills and knowledge they have built up by working with the likes of the Financial Reporting Council and turn this into practical impact on businesses.

“This is another example of how our researchers are able to benefit from diverse sources of funding to create effects that go far beyond the world of scholarship and into corporate boardrooms.”