Cognition and trust: Real-time dynamic calibration for human-autonomy teams

Eligibility

The Call for Proposal (CFP) is open exclusively to multidisciplinary teams of researchers. The primary affiliation of the Micro-net partners must be from at least three separate institutions and/or organizations.

Eligible Lead Applicant organizations or institutions are:

• Canadian university institutions chartered in Canada.

Eligible Partner organizations or institutions are:

• Canadian universities and educational institutions chartered in Canada;
• Canadian incorporated for-profit organizations;
• Canadian incorporated not-for-profit organizations; or
• Canadian provincial, territorial and municipal government organizations.

For this challenge, the micro-net should consider partnerships that include human factors/psychology experts and machine learning/engineering experts.

All organizations/institutions must possess the legal status necessary to enter into a funding agreement.

Federal departments, agencies, or crown corporations, and any person that is employed under one of these, are not eligible for funding or participation in micro-net activities.  DND and federal departments will not provide government furnished property, including but not limited to access to facilities/equipment, information, and personnel other than the assigned Defence Advisor.

Summary

The Challenge
In recent years, militaries have witnessed an increase in the integration of autonomous systems into defence and security operations. Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled autonomous systems have the potential to enhance operational efficiency and reduce human risk for military personnel. However, the militarization of autonomous systems raises concerns with safety, reliability, and the potential for operators to inappropriately trust, misuse, or underuse AI that underpin autonomous systems to support mission execution, for command and control on demand, and robust military decision-making, especially in contested and congested environments against novel adversarial technologies.

Effective integration of humans and autonomous systems depend on operators being able to trust autonomous systems to perform safely, reliably, and securely. Because AI can suffer from issues such as data quality, bias, and hallucinations, it is imperative that military operators understand the delicate balance of trusting and relying on such technologies. Moreover, adversaries may exploit vulnerabilities in these systems, so maintaining a calibrated level of trust is essential to prevent misuse or disuse of autonomous capabilities during operations. As technologies continue to evolve, methods for autonomous systems to adapt to human trust levels are required to facilitate an optimal level of trust.

Ultimately, maximum operational impact is achieved only when accelerated capability adoption and effective human-autonomy collaboration reinforce each other, supported by trust management frameworks that remain fully independent of the underlying autonomous systems. Such independence is essential to preserving sovereignty over technology, platforms, and supply chains, ensuring that innovation does not create dependencies or vulnerabilities.

This challenge aims specifically to support Canada’s NORAD Modernization Plan (Annex C: Canada’s NORAD Modernization Plan).

Expected Outcomes
The outcomes of this Challenge concentrate on areas that align with immediate priorities in Canada’s NORAD Modernization Plan that develop expertise and advance DND/CAF understanding of technologies that enable a safe, efficient, and secure partnership between humans and autonomous systems. This can be achieved by establishing a dynamic trust management system (i.e., a real-time system that measures, maintains, repairs, and calibrates trust) that maintains technological sovereignty and collaborative performance when working with fallible autonomous systems.

Areas of research may include, but are not limited to:

• Trust metrics (define and quantify);
• Explainable and assured autonomy; or
• Trust in human-autonomy teaming.

Innovation solutions must incorporate testing, such as software simulation testing, in the research to enable inclusion of tested results in the final report.

Applicants are encouraged to include the following considerations in the proposed solution:

• A dynamic trust management system (i.e., a real-time system that measures, maintains, repairs, and calibrates trust) for a partnership between humans, AI and autonomous systems that enables robust trust assessment and calibration across diverse scenarios (e.g., reconnaissance, conflicts, aid to civil powers, response to national and continental threats); and
• Gender-Based Analysis Plus to ensure trust management frameworks are inclusive across diverse populations.

As part of the micro-nets, DND/CAF will look for opportunities for knowledge and expertise exchange and collaboration with partners. The benefit to Canada is the development of Canadian network of experts in academia and industry in defence applications of trust between humans, AI and autonomous systems.

Submission Process

1. Submit to RSO. Complete the Pre-Award/Application record in RMS. Update the status of your record to "Submitted for approvals" (under Save & Progress) in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines.
    
2. Submit to DND. Applicants are required to register and submit their proposal(s) using the CPC Connect digital platform provided by Canada Post Corporation (CPC). CPC Connect is a digital delivery platform that facilitates sending and receiving confidential messages and documents. Proposals will not be accepted by email. It is the applicant’s responsibility to hold an account with CPC Connect and to complete the submission steps to submit the proposal.
    

• Request your Connect conversation (step 2 below) at least five (5) days prior to the CFP closing.
• Classified proposals will not be accepted for this CFP.
• Anyone can create a Canada Post Connect profile and submit the proposal form. The lead applicant, or, if preferred, a coordinator in the lead institution or micro-net member may submit the proposal on behalf of the lead applicant organization. Part 1 of the Proposal form must provide information on the lead applicant. 

Please refer to Section 5.2 of the Applicant Guide for a full set of agency submission instructions.

Overhead

25% of eligible costs before overhead

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

The Applicant Guide can be found here.

RESOURCES

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with Research Services, the more help we can be!

Contact the following Research Service units for support with:

Projects Involving Indigenous Research:

Support with incorporating wise practices in Indigenous research, community engagement, and Indigenous data management is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST).

Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Knowledge Mobilization, Research Impact Assessment, DORA:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, research impact, responsible research assessment (DORA), and open science, is available through the Knowledge to Impact team.

Applicants can reach out by email to the KI team at knowledge.impact@ucalgary.ca.

For more information and access to resource archives, please visit the KI team webpage.

Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca.

EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice.

Contact edi.rso@ucalgary.ca for more information.

Research Security:

The Research Security Division is available to ensure researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC).

Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.

Pre-Award Submissions:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI
RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application