A new call has been launched for research proposals on novel approaches to collaborative fusion and analysis using multiple different sources of intelligence.

The Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) is the Ministry of Defence’s gateway for UK industry, academia and innovators to help ensure our Armed Forces are best equipped now and in the future. CDE provides a rapid response to anyone with an innovative idea, potentially supporting them with a range of advice, assistance and research funding.

This is a call for research proposals on novel approaches to collaborative fusion and analysis using multiple different sources of intelligence. This call will probably fund a number of short (~3 month) Proof of Principle studies to investigate innovative approaches. Successful technologies may then be considered for support and further development.

Multi-disciplinary proposals are particularly encouraged, including but not limited to psychology, sociology, business intelligence, mathematics and statistics, where there is an opportunity for solutions, methodologies or theories employed in other applications to be used for intelligence collaboration for the first time.

Two specific challenges have been identified as key priorities.

Challenge 1 – Collaborative analysis models, tools and services – To develop the understanding of team sense-making concepts and processes, together with applications and services which offer support to those processes.

Challenge 2 – Geo-temporally enabled network analysis – To develop novel methods to understand how networks develop, function and evolve, through integrated analysis of relational (network graph), spatial and temporal data. Techniques and methods are also required for visualisation and utilisation of this data in a predictive manner.

The call for proposals will close 1200 (noon) on Tuesday 25 January 2011.