Notice

Analysing and Understanding Audiences (Phase 1): Competition Document

Updated 3 May 2023

1. Introduction: Analysing and Understanding Audiences

This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition is seeking proposals that can help UK Defence develop capability in ‘Analysing and Understanding Audiences’. It is focused on identifying innovative tools, techniques and methods that have potential to aid selection, analysis and understanding of audiences.

It is planned that the competition will run in three phases

• Phase 1: Focused on finding novel and innovative ideas at low levels of maturity, and funding some of these so they can become proof of concepts.
• Phase 2: Testing and evaluating these approaches to understand scientific validity and ability to be applied in a Defence context.
• Phase 3: Development of concept demonstrators.

This competition document focuses on Phase 1. The funding available for Phase 1 is up to £1M (ex VAT), but individual proposals cannot exceed £100k (ex VAT). If successful, contracts will be awarded for a maximum duration of 6 months.

To be considered for future phases it is not essential to be part of Phase 1.

The primary exploitation pathway for funded proposals will be via an Audience Analysis Dstl project. The outputs of this project will be used to inform the scope of a potential Phase 2 competition.

This competition is funded by Dstl

2. Competition key information

2.1 Submission deadline

1 June 2023 at 1200 midday (BST)

2.2 Where do I submit my proposal?

Via the DASA Online Submission Service for which you will require an account. Only proposals submitted through the DASA Online Submission Service will be accepted.

2.3 Total funding available

The total possible funding available for Phase 1 of this competition £1M (ex VAT).
It is expected to fund multiple proposals.

Additional funding for further phases to increase TRL may be available. If there will be a future phase, it will be open to applications from all innovators and not just those that submitted Phase 1 successful bids.

3. Supporting events

3.1 Dial-in sessions

30 March 2023 – A series of 20 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.
4 April 2023 – A series of 20 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page. Booking is on a first come first served basis.

Clarifications to topics raised at the 1 to 1 sessions can be found in this attachment

4. Competition Scope

4.1 Background: Getting to know your audience

An audience-centric approach is key to Defence’s orchestration of military activities, and understanding audiences forms a major part of this. Audiences can include individuals and groups, those who may be friendly, impartial or adversarial, and this could be in peace time or conflict. Audience analysis could be used to support Defence planning by supporting identification of potential audiences of interest, providing a detailed understanding of audiences that are known to be of interest, and/or providing insights into factors that affect the understanding of specific audiences (e.g. cultural factors or unique audiences).

As stated in the Operational level guide to the audience-centric approach for commanders and staff, audience analysis aims to:

“Understand audiences and their behaviour in detail, in order to inform strategy and decision making. Audience analysis can identify an audience’s: cognition (for example, their perceptions, attitudes, or beliefs towards a topic; the motivations that drive behaviours); their behaviours that are relevant to an organisations objectives; behavioural trends and patterns in populations; and the narratives and actors they interact with. To put it simply, audience analysis can cover many features of audiences, their attributes and behaviour.

Audience analysis informs the development and execution of plans. Having a greater level of understanding about relevant audiences reduces the uncertainty about how those audiences might respond to Defence activities. If Defence has limited – or even incorrect –understanding about audiences, the outcome of the planning process holds more risk as planners may inadvertently plan activities that undermine their objective, either by having no effect or even eliciting a negative reaction. It is natural for planners to assume audiences would react to activities as they themselves would. Yet the world of competing narratives, alternative perspectives and cultural diversity shape different ways of sensemaking and outcome behaviours. Further, the dynamics of the information environment means audiences might change positions, requiring a shift in our own plans. Appreciating the audience’s position will allow planners to recognise their own biases and plan activities suitable for that audience.”

5. Scope

Over the next five years and beyond, we wish to explore, drive and capitalise on innovations in scientifically robust tools, techniques and methods that aid understanding of audiences.

As well as the tools, techniques and methods themselves, the call is interested in:

• How a user would engage with the tool, technique or method, whether they are undertaking the analysis themselves, whether a service is being provided, or parts are automated;
• Limitations inherent in the approach, the data required (i.e. quantity, reliability and validity), or the way in which it could be applied;
• Factors that would need to be considered to allow adoption by Defence (e.g. level of training, infrastructure requirements, service provision);
• Sources of data and novel ways of using them to understand audiences;
• Innovative ways of providing insights into factors that affect the understanding of specific audiences.

At this stage of the competition we are limiting the scope to concepts, theoretical development, advancement and proof of concept research. This can include:

1. approaches that are used outside of Defence and have potential for application in a Defence context; and
2. innovative ideas that apply to analysing and understanding audiences in general (and in turn could be applicable in a Defence context).

A parable example of a requirement is included at the end of this call. However, as a project supporting military capability and operational use, real world use cases and contextual information are unlikely to be available. It is therefore essential that proposals are designed and developed on the basis that no use cases or data can be provided.

The problem space is broad and diverse, and the solutions should be too. We are interested in a wide variety of approaches to understand audiences, and welcome applications that bring novel perspectives from areas outside of Defence. We will be looking to commit funding to a range of exciting and diverse proposals that have the potential to enable UK Defence to analyse and understand audiences into the future.

Please note that proposals addressing more general applications of AI for Defence or the application of AI to sub-threshold activity in the information domain should not be submitted to this competition. These areas are the subject of an Innovation Focus Area or will be the subject of other DASA Themed Competitions; see Competitions in our Pipeline for more information.

6. Competition Challenges

This competition has several challenges. Proposals may address individual challenge areas or more than one area as appropriate.

This competition is focused on innovative ideas for analysing and understanding audiences. Areas of particular interest, as articulated in JTTP 3-81, include:

Product	Description
Audience Segmentation	Identifies the relevant audience segments / audiences for Defence activities, including pertinent information about their beliefs, habits, attitudes and behaviours
Behavioural Insight Assessment	Identify the priority behaviour drivers for the audience segments and the potential theories of change to apply for a required activity
Narrative Assessment	Key narratives and Disinformation, Misinformation, Malinformation and Information (DMMI) across and between the segments
Information Environment Assessment (IEA)	An assessment of how information is shared by audiences. It incorporates the virtual and physical dimensions of information sharing and includes an analysis of narratives and topics (information content) as well as dissemination routes and impact (information format)
Human Environment Assessment	Analysis of the human factors that affect the operating environment, PMESII is the common analytical framework to follow. (PMESII is political, military, economic, social, information and infrastructure)
Network Analysis	Identifies the connections between audiences / audience segments
Channel Analysis	Identifies the channels relevant to the audience segments (this will be dependent on findings from the Information Environment Assessment)
Information Packs	To inform the planning of activity to deliver cognitive effect
Assessment Metrics	Identified metrics for monitoring change in audience segment

6.1 We are interested in…

• Innovative or creative approaches
• Theoretical development, method of advancement, or proof of concept research which can demonstrate potential for translation to practical demonstration in later phases
• Potential for practical demonstration in phase 1 or later phases
• Clear demonstration of how the proposed work applies to selecting, segmenting, analysing and understanding audiences
• How you will work collaboratively and in a flexible manner with the Dstl team

6.2 We are not interested in…

• Approaches to influence audience behaviour (this work is focused on understanding audiences)
• Offer demonstrations of off-the-shelf products requiring no experimental development (unless applied in a novel way to the challenge)
• Unsolicited resubmission of a previous DASA bid
• Offers with no real prospect of out-competing existing solutions
• Consultancy, paper-based studies or literature reviews which just summarise the existing literature without any view of future innovation
• Proposals that offer no real long-term prospect of integration into defence and security capabilities
• Proposals that offer no real prospect of out-competing existing technological solutions

6.3 Accelerating and commercially exploiting your innovation

It is important that over the lifetime of DASA competitions, ideas are matured and accelerated towards appropriate end-users to enhance capability. How long this takes will depend on the nature and starting point of the innovation.

6.4 A clear route for commercial exploitation

For DASA to consider routes for commercial exploitation, ensure your deliverables are designed with the aim of making it as easy as possible for collaborators/stakeholders to identify the innovative elements of your proposal.

Whilst early identification and engagement with potential end users during the competition and subsequent phases are essential to implementing an exploitation plan, during the competition phase there should be no correspondence between innovators and DASA other than via the Accelerator email at at ,accelerator@dstl.gov.uk> or local Innovation Partner.

All proposals to DASA should articulate the expected development in technology maturity of the potential solution over the lifetime of the contract and how this relates to improved operational capability against the current known (or presumed) baseline.

6.5 How to outline your exploitation plan

A higher technology maturity is expected in subsequent phases. Include the following information to help the assessors understand your exploitation plans to date:

• the intended defence or security users of your final product and whether you have previously engaged with them, their procurement arm or their research and development arm
• awareness of, and alignment to, any existing end user procurement programmes
• the anticipated benefits (for example, in cost, time, improved capability) that your solution will provide to the user
• whether it is likely to be a standalone product or integrated with other technologies or platforms
• expected additional work required beyond the end of the contract to develop an operationally deployable commercial product (for example, “scaling up” for manufacture, cyber security, integration with existing technologies, environmental operating conditions)
• additional future applications and wider markets for exploitation
• wider collaborations and networks you have already developed or any additional relationships you see as a requirement to support exploitation
• how your product could be tested in a representative environment in later phases
• any specific legal, ethical, commercial or regulatory considerations for exploitation

6.6 Is your exploitation plan long term?

Long term studies may not be able to articulate exploitation in great detail, but it should be clear that there is credible advantage to be gained from the technology development.

Include project specific information which will help exploitation. This competition is being carried out as part of a wider MOD programme and with cognisance of cross-Government initiatives. We may collaborate with organisations outside of the UK Government and this may provide the opportunity to carry out international trials and demonstrations in the future.

7. How to apply

7.1 Submission deadline

1 June 2023 at 1200 midday (BST)

7.2 Where do I submit my proposal?

Via the DASA Online Submission Service for which you will be required to register.

Only proposals submitted through the DASA Online Submission Service will be accepted.

7.3 Total funding available

The total funding available for Phase 1 of this competition £1 million (ex VAT).

We are looking to fund proposals at low (1-4) TRL.

7.4 How many proposals will DASA fund

It is expected to fund multiple proposals. Maximum individual proposal value is £100k

Additional funding for further phases to increase TRL may be available. Any further phases will be open to applications from all innovators and not just those that submitted Phase 1 bids.

7.5 For further guidance

Click here for more information on our competition process and how your proposal is assessed.

Queries should be sent to the DASA Help Centre – accelerator@dstl.gov.uk

8. What your proposal must include

• the proposal should focus on the Phase 1 requirements but must also include a brief (uncosted) outline of the next stages of work required for commercial exploitation
• when submitting a proposal, you must complete all sections of the online form, including an appropriate level of technical information to allow assessment of the bid and a completed finances section
• completed proposals must comply with the financial rules set for this competition. The upper-limit for this competition is £100k (ex VAT). Proposals will be rejected if the financial cost exceeds this capped level
• you must include a list of other current or recent government funding you may have received in this area if appropriate, making it clear how this proposal differs from this work
• a project plan with clear milestones and deliverables must be provided. Deliverables must be well defined and designed to provide evidence of progress against the project plan and the end-point for this phase; they must include a final report
• you should also plan for attendance at a kick-off meeting at the start of Phase 1, a mid-project event and an end of project event at the end of Phase 1, as well as regular reviews with the appointed Technical Partner and Project Manager; all meetings will be in the UK. Meetings may also take place virtually.
• your proposal must demonstrate how you will complete all activities/services and provide all deliverables within the competition timescales (6 months). Proposals with any deliverables (including final report) outside the competition timeline will be rejected as non-compliant

9. What your resourcing plan should include

Your resourcing plan must identify, where possible, the nationalities of proposed employees that you intend to work on this phase.

9.1 If your proposal is recommended for funding

In the event of a proposal being recommended for funding, the DASA reserves the right to undertake due diligence checks including the clearance of proposed employees. Please note that this process will take as long as necessary and could take up to 6 weeks in some cases for non-UK nationals.
You must identify any ethical / legal / regulatory factors within your proposal and how the associated risks will be managed, including break points in the project if approvals are not received.

9.2 MODREC approvals can take up to 5 months therefore you should plan your work programme accordingly. If you are unsure if your proposal will need to apply for MODREC approval, then please refer to the MODREC Guidance for Suppliers or contact your Innovation Partner for further guidance.

9.3 Requirements for access to Government Furnished Assets (GFA), for example, information, equipment, materials and facilities, may be included in your proposal. DASA cannot guarantee that GFA will be available. If you apply for GFA, you should include an alternative plan in case it is not available.

Failure to provide any of the above listed will automatically render your proposal non-compliant.

10. Cyber risk assessment

10.1 Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ)

On receipt of a ‘Fund’ decision, successful suppliers must prove cyber resilience data before the contract is awarded. The start of this process is the submission of a Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ allows suppliers to demonstrate compliance with the specified risk level and the corresponding profile in Def Stan 05-138, and the level of control required will depend on this risk level.

To expedite the contracting time of successful suppliers we ask all suppliers to complete the SAQ before they submit their proposal. The SAQ can be completed here using the DASA Risk Assessment RAR-267335657 and answer questions for risk level “Very Low”.

10.2 Defence Cyber Protection Partnership

The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP) will review your SAQ submission and respond with a reference number within 2 working days. The resulting email response from DCPP should be attached (JPG or PNG format) and included within the DASA submission service portal when the proposal is submitted. You will also be asked to enter your SAQ reference number. Please allow enough time to receive the SAQ reference number prior to competition close at 12 midday (BST) on 1 June 2023.
If the proposal is being funded, the SAQ will be evaluated against the CRA for the competition, and it will be put it into one of the following categories:

1. compliant – no further action
2. not compliant – if successful in competition and being funded, the innovator will be required to complete a Cyber Implementation Plan (CIP) before the contract is placed, which will need to be reviewed and agreed with the relevant project manager

Innovators can enter a proposal without all controls in place, but are expected to have all the cyber protection measures necessary to fulfil the requirements of the contract in place at the time of contract award, or have an agreed Cyber Implementation Plan (CIP).

The CIP provides evidence as to how and when potential innovators will achieve compliance. Provided the measures proposed in the Cyber Implementation Plan do not pose an unacceptable risk to the MOD, a submission with a Cyber Implementation Plan will be considered alongside those who can achieve the controls. A final check will be made to ensure cyber resilience before the contract is placed. Commercial staff cannot progress without it. This process does not replace any contract specific security requirements.

Further guidance for completing this process can be requested by emailing the DASA Help Centre: accelerator@dstl.gov.uk.
Additional information about cyber security can be found at: DCPP: Cyber Security Model industry buyer and supplier guide.

10.3 Public facing information

When submitting your proposal, you will be required to include a title and a short abstract. The title and abstract you provide will be used by DASA, and other government departments, to describe your project and its intended outcomes and benefits. They may be included at DASA events in relation to this competition and in documentation such as brochures. The proposal title will be published in the DASA transparency data on GOV.UK, along with your company name, the amount of funding, and the start and end dates of your contract. As this information can be shared, it should not contain information that may compromise Intellectual property.

10.4 How your proposal will be assessed

At Stage 1, all proposals will be checked for compliance with the competition document and may be rejected before full assessment if they do not comply. Only those proposals that demonstrate compliance against the competition scope and DASA mandatory criteria will be taken forward to full assessment.

11. Mandatory Criteria

The proposal outlines how it meets the scope of the competition	Within scope (Pass) / Out of scope (Fail)
The proposal fully explains in all three sections of the DASA submission service how it meets the DASA criteria	Pass / Fail
The proposal clearly details a financial plan, a project plan and a resourcing plan to complete the work proposed in Phase 1	Pass / Fail
The proposal identifies the need (or not) for MODREC approval	Pass / Fail
The proposal identifies any GFA required for Phase 1	Pass / Fail
Maximum value of proposal is £100k	Pass / Fail
The proposal demonstrates how all research and development activities / services (including delivery of the final report) will be completed within 6 months from award of contract (or less)	Pass / Fail
The bidder has obtained the authority to provide unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Contract.	Pass / Fail

Proposals that pass Stage 1 will then be assessed against the standard DASA assessment criteria (Desirability, Feasibility and Viability) by subject matter experts from the MOD (including Dstl), other government departments and the front-line military commands. You will not have the opportunity to view or comment on assessors’ recommendations.

DASA reserves the right to disclose on a confidential basis any information it receives from innovators during the procurement process (including information identified by the innovator as Commercially Sensitive Information in accordance with the provisions of this competition) to any third party engaged by DASA for the specific purpose of evaluating or assisting DASA in the evaluation of the innovator’s proposal. In providing such information the innovator consents to such disclosure. Appropriate confidentiality agreements will be put in place.

Further guidance on how your proposal is assessed is available on the DASA website.

After assessment, proposals will be discussed internally at a Decision Conference where, based on the assessments, budget and wider strategic considerations, a decision will be made on the proposals that are recommended for funding.
#### Innovators are not permitted to attend the Decision Conference.
Proposals that are unsuccessful will receive brief feedback after the Decision Conference.

12. Things you should know about DASA contracts:

12.1 DASA terms and conditions

Please read the DASA terms and conditions which contain important information for innovators. For this competition we will be using the Innovation Standard Contract (ISC) terms and schedules, you will find a current example of our purchase order here. Please also see DASA Standard Terms and Conditions Guidance.

We will require unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions; if applicable, please ensure your commercial department has provided their acceptance.

Funded projects will be allocated a Project Manager (to run the project) and a Technical Partner (as a technical point of contact). In addition, the DASA team will work with you to support delivery and exploitation including, when appropriate, introductions to end-users and business support to help develop their business.
We will use deliverables from DASA contracts in accordance with our rights detailed in the contract terms and conditions.
For this competition, £1 million is currently available to fund proposals. There may be occasions when additional funding may become available to allow us to revisit proposals deemed suitable for funding. Therefore, DASA reserves the right to keep such proposals in reserve. In the event that additional funding becomes available, DASA may ask whether you would still be prepared to undertake the work outlined in your proposal under the same terms.

12.2 Phase 1 key dates

Pre bookable 1-1 telecom sessions	30 March 2023 & 4 April 2023
Competition closes	1 June 2023 at 12 midday (BST)
Feedback release	August 2023
Contracting	Aim to start September 2023 and end 6 months later in February 2024

Help: Contact the DASA Help Centre

Competition queries including on process, application, commercial, technical and intellectual property aspects should be sent to the DASA Help Centre at accelerator@dstl.gov.uk, quoting the competition title. If you wish receive future updates on this competition, please email the DASA Help Centre.

While all reasonable efforts will be made to answer queries, DASA reserves the right to impose management controls if volumes of queries restrict fair access of information to all potential innovators.

13. Appendix 1 - Example Requirement

13.1 Wider Context

The British Military has been asked to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to an island nation that has been heavily affected by a recent hurricane.

The damage caused by the hurricane is extensive but uneven, in addition to storm damage, areas of low ground have been affected by flooding.

Elements of critical infrastructure, including the communications network, the electrical grid, and transport links are mostly inoperable.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced through the direct destruction of their homes. There are critical shortages of food and medical supplies.

A terrain map of a Caribbean island with different groupings of people (Computer generated)

13.2 Task

The British Government send a Military Task Force, which must understand the audiences who are affected by, or who could affect their mission.

Audience Segmentation. The Task Force must identify how these audiences could be grouped in order to understand competing needs, how different segments might react differently etc. They could do this in several different ways, and each method will have its pros and cons. One possibility is to group people by their need or requirement, similar to triaging. Other possibilities could be to group the audiences by their affiliation, demographics, location, or other characteristics.

British Army Officers planning disaster relief operations (Computer Generated)

Behavioural Insight Assessment

Once the Task Force have segmented their audience, they may need to identify key behavioural drivers for their audience.

• Will people follow orders from their elders?
• Might they supress their own needs in order to benefit the community?
• How will they respond when they see British Military Personnel? Could they be hostile, or welcoming?

All of these factors will be important for the task force in terms of how they deliver aid.

Narrative Assessment

The Task Force will need to understand the key narratives in play between and amongst the different audience segments.

• Will people seek to blame government response or historical underinvestment in infrastructure and buildings standards?
• Is there tension between different groupings that might lead to conflict over the provision of aid, or accusations of favouritism?
• Are subversive elements (both internally and externally) seeking to spread Dis/Mis/Mal information to undermine the Task Force?

By understanding the narratives, the Task Force can understand its place in the situation, and anticipate the consequences of its actions.

Information Environment Assessment (IEA)

The Task Force will seek to understand how information is passed around the audience segments.

• Where has the cellular infrastructure been destroyed? How does this affect different groupings’ access to the internet?
• How are messages being passed? Some groupings may be reliant on word of mouth.
• What are the popular social media platforms? Who is using them and what are they saying?

The IEA will consider the Physical, Virtual and Cognitive dimensions of information sharing, including narratives, topics, and dissemination routes.

Human Environment Assessment

The Task Force will seek to understand the wider human environment, often using an analytical framework such as PMESII, which considers Political, Military, Economic, Social, Information and Infrastructure factors. Examples may include:

• Economic: Is there an illicit market for aid supplies? How will Task Force efforts affect this?
• Infrastructure: Are there government buildings that could be used to house displaced people or act as aid distribution points? Is the road network still operational, or will the task force need to help clear blockages?

Network Analysis

The Task Force will need to understand the connections between audiences. Examples could include:

• How is the local government response structured? Who are the key officials and what are their relations?
• Are there criminal elements seeking to exploit the disaster? What influence do they have on different sectors of the population?
• What are the links between Non-Government Organisations? Will they be open to working alongside the military?

Network analysis could look at large audience groupings (e.g. ‘the diaspora’, ‘NGOs’, or ‘displaced people’) or could look at specific individuals or named groupings (e.g. government officials or crime bosses)

Channel Analysis

The Task Force will use the IEA to identify the channels that are relevant to different audience segments.

• Do key audiences use social media? If so, which platforms, and where can they best be reached?
• If the communications network is down, could the Task Force use leaflets and posters to tell audiences about aid provisions?
• Radio might still be operational. Which audiences are within range to the transmitter, and what channels do they listen to?

By understanding the relevant channels, the Task Force can both send and receive information that will help in the delivery of its mission.

Information Packs

The Task Force will process all of the audience information they have collected into information packs, which will be used to inform planning.

By getting a holistic understanding of audiences, they will be able to provision aid in the most efficient and effective way, avoiding narrative pitfalls and targeting aid to those who need it the most.

Information packs must be detailed enough to be useful, but not so dense that they are difficult to understand. Diagrams, charts and other media will be used to help aid understanding.

Assessment Metrics

The Task Force must understand if what it is doing is effective, and if the audience is changing its attitudes or behaviour.

• Are people responding to its communications in the way it intends?
• If it has designated an Aid Distribution Point, how many people know about it?
• Do audiences view the Task Force in a positive light? If not, what impact will this have on the mission?

Assessment metrics must be resourced and put in place at the beginning of the mission. Without them, the Task Force cannot understand if it is effective in its mission.