Apply to attend a five-day interactive interdisciplinary sandpit to develop projects on decision support using artificial intelligence (AI), for national security and defence applications.
Key Dates
- 4:00 pm 31 October 2024: Closing date for Expressions of Interest
- 17 January 2025: Pre-sandpit virtual session
- 20 to 23 January 2025: In person sandpit
Sandpit delegates must attend all online and in-person days. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding.
UKRI and EPSRC, in collaboration with National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange and UK government partners, are inviting applicants to attend a joint sandpit to deliver new, innovative, multidisciplinary and transformative approaches to AI decision support for national security and defence.
A collaborative sandpit approach has been chosen to generate research applications that:
- take into account the needs of UK defence and security stakeholders from across government
- form new collaborations between researchers, innovators and government users of research (stakeholders) in diverse research areas
- create new and transformative research ideas in using AI to support decision making, and allowing researchers to pitch projects for funding to test and de-risk novel ideas
- address key research challenges that are identified and described at the sandpit
- can be led by researchers who have not worked in this sector before
No prior involvement with the defence or security sector is required, but it is UKRI's intention that participants at the sandpit will remain engaged with stakeholders from the defence and security sectors and be inspired to form longer term collaborations.
The sandpit will be an intensive, inclusive, interactive and creative environment, supporting a diverse group of participants from a range of disciplines and backgrounds in UKRI’s remit to work together.
Full details on the opportunity, and a link to the EOI survey, are available here: Sandpit: AI decision support for national security and defence – UKRI.
The deadline for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) is 4:00pm on 31 October 2024. University of Aberdeen researchers who are interested in applying to participate in the sandpit are encouraged to contact their Research Development Executive.
Funding available
It is expected that three projects will be funded, sharing up to £3 million of total funding at 80% full economic cost.
Accommodation will be provided during the residential component of the sandpit. However, participants must make their own travel arrangements. Travel and subsistence costs will be reimbursed.
Since this sandpit is partially residential, and where employers cannot help, EPSRC, in line with UKRI policy, will cover the costs of any additional childcare or caring responsibilities, which is deemed necessary during this period.