Intrinsic Cognitive Security (ICS)

Background
The Intrinsic Cognitive Security (ICS) program develops computational science to build tactical mixed reality systems that protect human users against cognitive attacks. The core technical hypothesis of the program is that formal methods can be extended with cognitive guarantees and models to protect mixed reality users from cognitive attacks.

Grant Details
The ICS program aims to develop computational science for building tactical mixed reality systems that protect human users from cognitive attacks. The program focuses on formal methods extended with cognitive guarantees and models to safeguard mixed reality (MR) users from various adversary attacks, such as information flooding, planting real-world objects, subverting personal area networks, injecting virtual data, and assessing user status through an eye tracker.

The program will extend formal methods by creating and analyzing cognitive and other models as part of MR system development to protect the warfighter from adversary attacks. It will also address issues related to physiology, perception, attention, confidence, and status of MR users. The program has two technical areas (TAs): TA1 - Mixed Reality Cognition and TA2 - Evaluation.

TA1 aims to create cognitive guarantees and build cognitive models for reasoning about users of mixed reality systems. TA2 will evaluate the efficacy of models, proofs, and guarantees.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include organizations capable of conducting fundamental research in science and engineering. University or non-profit research institution performance under this solicitation will include effort categorized as fundamental research.

Period of Performance
The program is a 36‐month effort divided into two phases, each 18 months long. Phase 1 focuses on the development of proved guarantees and supporting models, while Phase 2 validates the usefulness of the guarantees in mixed reality systems.

Grant Value
DARPA anticipates multiple awards in technical area (TA) 1 and one award in TA2. The anticipated award amount for a TA1 performer will range between $8M-$10M. The anticipated award amount for a TA2 performer will range from $3M-$5M.

Place of Performance
Performers are expected to host at least one PI meeting over the duration of the program in Washington, DC or San Diego, CA.