Human-Guided Machine Learning | W911NF 17 S 0003 SN MACHINE LEARNING

Opportunity Information: Apply for W911NF 17 S 0003 SN MACHINE LEARNING

The Human-Guided Machine Learning opportunity is a Department of Defense (Department of the Army, Army Research Laboratory under Army Materiel Command) research solicitation released as a Special Notice under the ARL Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) W911NF-17-S-0003. It uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which generally means the Army expects active collaboration and involvement during the performance of the work rather than a hands-off grant structure. The program sits in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity area (CFDA 12.431) and is framed as a discretionary funding opportunity.

The core purpose is to attract research proposals that advance "human-guided machine learning," specifically aligned to two ARL BAA topic areas: KCI-HS-1, Robust Human and Machine Hybridization, and CCE-HS-4, Humans in Multi-Agent Systems. In practical terms, the Army is looking for work that makes machine learning systems more effective when they are shaped, corrected, supervised, or partnered with humans, especially in complex, operationally realistic contexts where multiple autonomous agents and human decision makers interact. The emphasis is not only on improving algorithms, but on developing the broader science and engineering needed for humans and intelligent technologies to function as an integrated team.

The research areas highlighted in the notice include novel forms of human-intelligent technology decision making, cybernetics, and hybridized thinking between people and intelligent systems. This points to interest in approaches where humans provide guidance that is richer than simple labels, such as interactive teaching, intent or preference communication, constraint specification, real-time feedback, and shared control. It also points to building systems that can adapt to human cognitive strengths and limitations, and that can leverage human judgment in uncertain, dynamic environments. Another stated interest is "human technological savvy," which suggests research on how user expertise, training, mental models, and interface design affect outcomes when humans guide or collaborate with machine learning, as well as methods that help users become better supervisors or teammates of AI-enabled systems.

A final explicit focus area is the development of assessment tools for human-intelligent technology teaming. That implies the Army wants rigorous ways to measure and predict team performance, trust, workload, situation awareness, decision quality, and resilience when humans and AI share tasks. In multi-agent settings, this can include evaluating how humans coordinate with swarms or teams of autonomous agents, how information is presented and prioritized, how authority and initiative shift between human and machine, and how the overall system behaves under stress, deception, or degraded communications.

From a funding and schedule standpoint, the opportunity listed an award ceiling of $2,000,000 with an expectation of about three awards. The posting indicates it was created June 10, 2021 with an original closing date of June 25, 2021, signaling a relatively short turnaround typical of special notices tied to an existing BAA. Eligibility is marked as "Others" with additional clarification expected in the full notice, meaning prospective applicants would need to consult the Special Notice attachment and the parent BAA language to confirm who can apply and under what conditions.

Overall, this call targets research that strengthens the scientific foundations and practical implementations of systems where humans actively shape learning and decision processes, and where AI is deployed as a teammate within multi-agent environments. The Army is signaling interest in integrated solutions spanning machine learning, human factors, cognition, interfaces, teaming frameworks, and evaluation methods, with the end goal of robust, measurable, and operationally useful human-machine hybrid performance.

• 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 "Human-Guided Machine Learning" 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 Jun 10, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2021. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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