Key Information

The Alan Turing Institute and Defence Science Organisation (DSO) National Laboratories in Singapore Partnership are seeking to fund several projects to develop novel methods in AI and Data Science applicable to the three themes of Misinformation and Disinformation, Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief, and Counter-Terrorism.

The deadline for proposals is 10 October 2022.

All projects must start no later than 1 February 2023 and must end before the end of August 2024.

Projects are typically funded at around £250K for an 18-month project, at 100% FEC. 

Researchers from any university or research institute in the UK are invited to submit an application.

Call Themes

The partnership between DSO National Laboratories, Singapore's largest national defence research and development organisation and the Alan Turing Institute is within Defence and Security Programme. Together, the Turing and DSO will explore new research methods designed to help understand complex datasets, covering different modalities such as image, text, and audio. Researchers will work to develop novel methods to help with the analysis of these fascinating and complex data sets.The work falls under three themes:

Misinformation and Disinformation
New techniques in analysing social media content will enable the identification of harmful online material such as malign influence, extremist rhetoric, and the encouragement of serious violence, whether it is spread as text, image, or video. This will help to curb the speed at which such material can be shared and ensure that citizens continue to benefit from safe and trusted online spaces.

Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief
In a period of unprecedented global disasters fuelled by a changing climate, the ability to effectively provide responses to these disasters becomes more important than ever. A growing ability to collect data about such disasters, driven by both more prolific sensors and autonomous vehicles, provide a significant opportunity to first responders in tackling these disasters. AI techniques can help in areas such as analysing imagery, locating survivors, and providing important cultural, contextual, and linguistic support to first responders, especially in typically low-resource languages. Such techniques are of much importance in multilateral humanitarian relief efforts.

Counter Terrorism
Data analysis plays a large and substantial part in countering extremism. Analysts have to sift through large amounts of data to find threats, looking for the needle in the haystack that could result in a foiled extremist plot. Novel AI techniques can help analysts undertake this in a more efficient and expedient way.

Further details

Further information can be found on the Alan Turing Institute's webpage here and in the call guidance document here. Please read this document carefully before making an application.

For queries regarding the call process or using the online application system, please contact the Research Project Manager, Amber Raza at araza@turing.ac.uk. 

For queries on the scientific research priorities of the call and the DSO project, please contact the Turing DSO Scientific Lead, Ana Basiri at abasiri@turing.ac.uk.