Bilateral Academic Research Initiative (BARI) Pilot Program | W911NF 18 S 0007

Opportunity Information: Apply for W911NF 18 S 0007

The Bilateral Academic Research Initiative (BARI) Pilot Program was a U.S. Department of Defense funding opportunity run through the Department of the Army, Materiel Command, designed to support basic research collaborations between universities in the United States and universities in the United Kingdom. The central idea was to fund science and engineering research that comes specifically from interactive, joint work between the two countries, where each side brings different strengths, tools, and perspectives. The program was framed around research topics that matter to both the U.S. DoD and the U.K. Ministry of Defense, with an emphasis on accelerating progress by deliberately pairing complementary expertise across the two academic systems.

For this pilot call, the technical focus was artificial intelligence and collaborative decision making, especially in the context of human-machine teaming. Rather than stopping at systems that help people interpret data or coordinate understanding (often described as human-machine sensemaking), the program sought research that pushes into true collaborative decision making, where the machine is not just a tool or a recommender but a partner that can participate in the decision process. The stated vision was a mixed team in which humans and technology operate effectively as a single unit, and the machine behaves as an equal team member that can reason at a level comparable to its human teammates. In practical terms, that implies AI approaches that can share intent, interpret context, handle uncertainty, communicate rationales, adapt to teammates, and contribute to joint planning and choices rather than merely producing outputs for a human to accept or reject.

Administratively, the opportunity was a discretionary grant program (Funding Opportunity Number W911NF 18 S 0007) listed under CFDA 12.431 and categorized under science and technology and other research and development. It was created May 18, 2018, and the solicitation closed on July 6, 2018 at 4:00 PM local time in Durham, North Carolina. The program anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of $3,000,000, indicating an intent to fund one substantial, flagship collaborative effort rather than multiple smaller projects. Eligibility was described broadly as "Others" with clarification to be provided in an additional eligibility section, but the core requirement emphasized by the synopsis was that the work must be an interactive collaboration between U.S. and U.K. institutions of higher education.

Overall, BARI positioned itself as a focused, high-value pilot investment meant to strengthen U.S.-U.K. academic ties while advancing defense-relevant foundational AI research. The expected outcome was not a near-term product, but basic research progress that materially improves how humans and AI systems can work together as genuine teammates, especially in settings where shared understanding must translate into shared decisions.

• The Department of Defense, Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bilateral Academic Research Initiative (BARI) Pilot Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.431.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 18, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 06, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W911NF 18 S 0007

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