I.
Autonomous Systems and Robotics
II.
Information Management and Data Science
III.
Human Systems Performance and Protection
IV.
Resilient Networked Systems
V.
Explosive Hazard Avoidance, Blast Characterization and Mitigation
VI.
Next Generation Material Systems and Signatures
I.
Autonomous Systems and Robotics
Context
The research challenge seeks to explore, enhance, develop, and deliver autonomous or robotics innovative solutions and technologies to a vast range of applications providing reliable, autonomous or semi-autonomous functionalities and decision making abilities within complex environments in the context of defence, safety and security. The focus is primarily on systems control and operational effectiveness rather than developing robotic platforms.
Research Topics
1.
Establishing Trust in Autonomous Intelligent Systems
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development and integration of innovative technologies and methodologies to improve decision making abilities of autonomous intelligent systems in defence and security missions, including understanding and interpreting human intentions. Research themes could include, but are not limited to, artificial intelligence, machine learning and perception, autonomous system robustness and resilience, and mannedunmanned teaming. The objective is to establish trust and confidence in autonomous intelligent systems, and to allow for adequate insight into how autonomous intelligent systems sense and monitor changing environments, detect and interpret changes, evaluate and select among courses of action, and respond to expected and unexpected/unpredictable circumstances while dealing with system malfunctions or total failure.
2.
Autonomy in Complex and Contested Environments

Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development and integration of technologies to improve autonomous systems abilities to deal with unexpected events (little changes, errors, etc.) or tasks that challenge their sensing, modeling, planning, or movement envelope. Research themes could include, but are not limited to, sensing for situational awareness in unstructured and adversarial environments; sensing for real-time automated decision making, especially under poor environmental conditions; representing complex situations and performing comprehension to support decision making; efficiently determining uncertainty or recognizing critical elements in situation representation; developing the means to express complex goals simply and meaningfully to both man and machine; performing goalbased-behaviors and handling multiple goals; dynamically creating plans to achieve goals for one or more autonomous systems; optimizing the collection of data from the environment; ensuring anomaly/obstacle identification with high confidence; reducing the amount of supervision and time required for machine learning.
3.
Countering Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV)
Detection and tracking of AUVs: Projects under this research challenge should focus on investigations of acoustic, non-acoustic and other methods of detection of autonomous underwater vehicles, including an understanding of how vehicle design and different operating states and environments of the vehicle affect their detectability.
AUV swarms: Projects under this research challenge should focus on investigations on how swarm behaviours may be applied to autonomous underwater vehicles, and how to mitigate swarm behaviours that may be intended to overwhelm systems developed for local or wide area underwater surveillance.
Discerning AUV mission, capability, and intent: Projects under this research challenge should focus on tools and techniques to discern the probable intended purpose of an autonomous underwater vehicle that has been detected; for example, scientific, industrial, or military. This may be further extended to an identification of platform capabilities and sensing modalities.
II.
Information Management and Data Science
Context
This interdisciplinary research challenge focuses on developing innovative solutions that are primarily concerned with the generation, packaging, analysis, manipulation, classification, storage, retrieval, movement/communication, protection, and the use of data and information for
Page | 2

efficient decision making within secure and reliable environment and with assurance of reduced cognitive load.
Research Topics
1.
Integrated Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Information from Large Data
Sets
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development and integration of methodologies, tools and technologies to perform integrated quantitative and qualitative analysis on heterogeneous data sets including the combination of quantitative and qualitative factors in a single analysis/visualization process. The heterogeneity of information and data sets such as human resources, finance, real property, etc., is the key issue to overcome. The integrated analysis tools are to support well informed and evidence-based decision making.
2.
Minimizing Information Overload in Networked Operations
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the exploration and development of novel strategies, methodologies, techniques and tools to minimize information overload in networked operations and to prevent or reduce decision quality degradation. Information overload occurs when the amount of input to a system exceeds its processing capacity. Because humans have fairly limited cognitive processing capacity, when information overload occurs, the consequence is likely to be a reduction in decision quality. This challenge, particularly acute in military network-centric operations, responds to the need for increased complex operational effectiveness, enhanced and integrated decision support and near real-time message filtering; and offer the potential for enhancing the development of big data, data analytics and data visualization and analysis tools.
3. Enabling Mobile Decision Making
Projects under this research area should focus on the emerging needs of mobile enabled decision making for decentralized and dispersed military and civilian first responders within fields of operations. Both the military and civilian first-responders are required to make rapid and complex decisions while operating in a decentralized fashion in small teams. The leaders of these small teams need situational awareness to enable rapid decision-making by the team.
Technological developments in mobile devices and telecommunications provide ever increasing depth of information for situational awareness with more rapid updates. Projects could potentially examine the minimum depth and latency of situational awareness required to enable rapid and effective decision making for such small teams operating on the move.
Page | 3

III.
Human Systems Performance and Protection
Context
The multidisciplinary research area focuses on the design, development, integration and deployment of innovative systems, technologies, methodologies and tools that effectively and affordably optimize human performance, improve physical/mental/psychological protection, and reduce physical and cognitive burden on military personnel. Topics that could be considered under this theme include human-machine teaming; robotics; information fusion; data visualization and analysis tools; human-machine interfaces; physical avatars; augmented reality; telepresence; vision enhancement; automated machine translation; exoskeleton; load carriage/assistance; wearable electronics; life support technologies; modeling and simulation of human tasking, and tools for measuring and reducing physical limitations, cognitive load, and fatigue.
Research Topics
1.
Physiological Enhancement
Projects under this research challenge should focus on innovative technologies and their integration to advance human optimization from a physiological perspective and reduce physical burden on military personnel. Technological areas could include, but are not limited to, exoskeletons; musculo-skeletal/integrated exoskeletons with neural interfaces, nano/bio-based skeletal muscle biochemistry enhancers, metabolomics for biochemical performance improvements and performance predictors; genetic engineering for muscular performance improvements; next-generation ergogenic aids to enhance strength, power, endurance and fatigue mitigation; tactics for improving physiological performance in low atmospheric pressure operating environments; next generation nutraceuticals for enhanced mobile feeding and performance in autonomous, high tempo, non-replenishable and harsh environments; and technologies and tactics to increase range, speed and endurance. Where applicable, the work may involve high performance athletics research conducted within sports physiology, exercise physiology, or kinesiology.
2.
Personnel Protection and Resilience
Resilience and health protection of personnel: Projects under this research challenge should focus on innovative knowledge and technologies related to preventing, treating, or mitigating the increased risk of death or injury (both physical and psychological) during operations and training of military personnel. The full spectrum of applied research should be considered, from
Page | 4

experimental to epidemiological research, to significantly impact the outcome of combat casualties with potentially survivable injuries as well as the time interval between the battlefield point of injury and surgical intervention.
Low cost next-generation integrated wearable early warning systems: Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development and integration of innovative low cost, powerless, embedded early warning systems/technologies to provide military personnel and first responders with the ability to monitor and assess physiological indicators and exposure to environmental contaminants. Technological areas could include, but are not limited to, lightweight, low-burden personal protective equipment (PPE); innovative designs and intelligent protective textile structures, coatings and clothing; technologies that incorporate antimicrobial agents, and advanced cooling systems; integrated low profile, energy independent, concealed physiological monitoring technologies; and life support technologies concerned with human effectiveness, protection, health, safety and survival in harsh, austere operational environments.
3.
Responsive Medical and Logistical Support
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the investigation and development of highly integrated, adaptive, and flexible sustainment systems in support of small dispersed elements. Projects under this challenge could potentially examine the robustness of the traditional echelon system for sustainment over non-contiguous areas of operation. This sustainment activity will most likely be delivered using shared capabilities with other requirements such as medical evacuation. The use of shared resources must be optimized towards maximizing the responsiveness of these sustainment activities.
4.
Automation, Robotics, and Telepresence
Projects under this research challenge should focus on developing and implementing state-of-the art technologies and methodologies involving the use of robots, autonomous systems, and teleoperation, in order to enhance human capabilities and performance and enable human operators to sense and act at long range distances as well as to concurrently control many systems (e.g. as in a swarm configuration). These challenges could include, but are not limited to, human factors of robotics; unmanned systems; multi-sensors systems; data mining and data fusion; positioning and timing; optimization techniques; localization and mapping; robust control and machine learning; fault detection; sense and avoid; visual inspection and vision enhancement; adaptive interface and adaptive collaboration; intelligent systems and agents; multi-agent systems; autonomous systems and navigation; flow control; brain-machine interface; haptic interface; virtual reality and augmented reality; telepresence and latency.
Page | 5

5.
Computation and cognition
Projects under this research challenge should focus on enhancing human sensory, mnemonic, and cognitive performance, especially by the smart use of compact computational devices. Ease of use is a larger consideration than the proximal or distal nature of the device or devices. Technological areas could include, but are not limited to ubiquitous pervasive computing (ubicomp), portable schemes for augmented reality, enhanced wayfinding, enhanced vision (including extension of the perceivable spectrum), the human factors of large database visualization, and the effective use of cultural glossaries.
IV.
Resilient Networked Systems
Context
Networked systems continue to experience vulnerabilities, reliability and never ending competition for spectrum and power. This research target provides an opportunity for innovation on technologies, methodologies, architectures, tools and processes addressing resilient, selfaware, self-healing, energy efficient, secure and reliable networks. Topics of interest include trust-worthy autonomous self-aware and adaptive fault-tolerant and intrusion sensitive methodologies for wireless sensor networks and highly networked systems; efficient energy conservation in highly congested, faulty, and scalable networks; operations in spectral denied environment; and development of and deployment of low cost platform early warning systems within traditional and harsh environments.
Research Topics
1.
Intrinsic Resiliency to Cyber-Attack
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development and integration of technologies to improve physical-systems resiliency to cyber-attack to ensure the safe and trustworthy operation of software-dependent systems. The research challenges could include, but are not limited to, novel design/architectural/engineering approaches to build cyber robustness and resiliency from the outset; approach to understand how to construct secure and trustworthy systems; threat comprehension implying the understanding of its effects on the entire system as well as its subcomponents; system resilience implying techniques to mitigate the effects of a cyber-attack on core system functions; and system robustness implying techniques to reduce available vectors of attack through software hardening and reliability testing against attack.
Page | 6

2.
Operating In a Spectrum-Denied Environment
Projects under this research challenge should focus on developing new technology that would enable robust military capabilities that currently require the use of the electromagnetic spectrum
(such as communications, command and control, threat detection, target detection, identification and localization, PNT (positioning, navigation, timing), etc.) to continue to be effective in the face of an increasingly congested, contested and competitive electromagnetic (EM) spectrum.
The EM spectrum is becoming congested by the ever increasing number of commercial and private users, and their increasing bandwidth requirements. In military operational scenarios, this spectrum is expected to become highly contested by adversary jamming. The spectrum
“ownership” is also highly competitive in the sense that ever larger bandwidth allocations are being reserved for specific commercial or public use. Examples of vulnerable systems include tactical radios, satellite communication links, Radar and GPS. New technologies and approaches are needed to either allow these various military functions to be performed with the use of significantly less spectrum or preferably without the use of EM transmission/reception at all, or with the use of spectrum without interfering with or being interfered by other users. Various EM signal waveform and signal processing techniques are being explored to mitigate encountered challenges; however these currently offer only partial and limited solutions and an innovative approach is needed.
3.
Space Domain Awareness
Projects under this research challenge should focus on developing new technologies that would enable space domain awareness. Awareness may be achieved through the detection, tracking, and if possible identification and characterization of objects in space, particularly in or near earth orbit, as well as characterizing the physical environment itself. This may include friendly and adversarial space assets as well as space debris and naturally occurring objects such as nearearth asteroids. This capability is needed to manage space assets as well as to identify and understand potential space related threats.
V.
Explosive Hazard Avoidance, Blast Characterization and Mitigation
1.
Laser-Based Stand-Off Explosives Detection
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development of advanced active optical spectroscopy methods, such as non-linear Raman, highly non-linear techniques, and other novel light sources and detection strategies, that would enable practical demonstration of the long range, high sensitivity, high specificity requirements for military stand-off explosive
Page | 7

hazard detection. There exist a vast array of optical and laser spectroscopic techniques for chemical trace detection that show potential for use as means of positively detecting trace quantities of vapours or particulate associated with explosive hazard, yet there are no commercially available instruments suitable for general-purpose stand-off explosive detection within a vehicle-mounted (mobile) Route Clearance scenario. Most explosives, especially military grade explosives, have very low vapour pressures, typically in the parts per billion (ppb) or lower. In the particulate case, the observable trace explosive contamination may be on the order of micro to nanograms (μg–ng), representing residues transferred in the manufacture, storage, or handling of explosives. Commercially available systems have yet to achieve the sensitivity and detection ranges necessary for general military use in the field environments.
2.
Frequency Agile Compact High Powered Radio-Frequency (RF) Source
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development of a frequency agile compact high powered RF source that can be installed on existing military vehicles without compromising the vehicles’ existing functions. Vehicle-delivered explosive devices have become more likely given the rapid commercialization of uninhabited air and ground vehicle systems
(UxVs). The use of radio-frequency directed energy weapons (RF DEW) has been shown to be effective in causing some UxVs to malfunction, and some improvised explosive devices to pretrigger. The lack of a frequency agile compact high powered RF source is one of the limiting factors in fielding a practical RF DEW system in this role.
3.
Highly Directional and Compact Harmonic Radar Antenna
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development of compact directional antennas that are capable of operating on multiple transmit and receive frequencies with circular polarized electromagnetic energy. Such a device needs to be compact and light weight for implementation in a handheld device with the possibility of being used as UxV payload for standoff explosive hazard avoidance. There exists a variety of harmonic radar technologies for use in the detection of explosive hazards. However, the current form factor for such technologies with hand-held detectors is designed to operate on single transmit and dual receive frequencies.
Three of the limiting factors to the performance of harmonic radar are the frequency, polarization dependence inherent in the detection of the explosive hazards, and the directivity of the radar antenna. Research addressing these limitations is needed.
VI.
Next Generation Material Systems and Signatures
Context
Page | 8

The research challenge seeks to develop next generation materials, cutting-edge experimental techniques and theoretical modeling tools to increase the understanding and development of next generation ballistic resistant and protective materials. The research could also focus on the design and development of next-generation materials targeting a wide range of functional and structural applications underpinning current and future challenges in defence and security.
Research Topics
1.
Toughened Transparent Materials Against Blast, Shock and Impact Loading
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development and integration of materials and technologies to improve the performance of transparent systems (monolithic or multi-layers) against high velocity blast, shock and impact loading, in applications such as vehicles, face shields and security glass. These include the design, development and fabrication of advanced engineering materials and innovative technologies/treatments/coatings to enhance physical/mechanical characteristics while maintaining or improving the transparency of the material system. Factors that could be considered may include light weight, through-thickness performance, resistance against degradation of performance and/or transparency due to environmental factors, and performance after multiple, repeated impacts.
2.
Numerical Simulation and In-Situ Measurements of High Velocity Impact
Phenomena
Projects under this research challenge should focus on the development of advanced tools and numerical models to better understand and predict the behavior of materials and systems under high velocity impact loading. This will include, but not limited to, the development of experimental techniques, in-situ measurement tools; and numerical modeling to accurately simulate the behavior of materials under high velocity penetration. Models should apply to different materials, such as Rolled Homogenous Armour (RHA) steel, brittle materials (ceramics, glasses), and fibre-reinforced composites. Considerations should be given to multi-hit scenarios, and the characterization of variables such as Depth of Penetration (DOP), break up time, particles shape and velocity.
3.
Effect of Sea State and Ship Motions on Ship Acoustic Signatures
Projects under this research challenge should focus on advancing the knowledge and understanding, and the development and validation of modelling and simulation tools to predict the effect of various factors, such as ship speed, heading, sea state and ship motions on a vessel’s acoustic signature. In particular, the development of predictive tools for determining the
Page | 9

radiated noise due to propeller cavitation, bow slamming, and other sources of ship noise, all while the ship is sailing in moderate to heavy seas that produce ambient noise in the undersea environment and possibly cause the propeller to leave the water. This may entail the coupling of several physics models – linear or nonlinear seakeeping panel methods, propeller performance prediction software and propeller cavitation prediction software, and structural noise predictions.
Page | 10