LAS is a mission-oriented academic-industry-government research collaboration that works at the intersection of technology and tradecraft. We apply unclassified examples from academic and commercial partners to intelligence community goals. Collaborators selected for project funding will work with LAS staff to deliver mission-relevant solutions to better support today’s intelligence analysts.

Faculty and industry researchers seeking funding and collaboration are invited to submit abstracts by July 31, 2026.

To manage the vast and complex data available to intelligence analysts, the U.S. Intelligence Community is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and machine learning methods through collaboration with academic and industry partners. The Laboratory for Analytic Sciences (LAS) at North Carolina State University has released its annual call for abstracts and invites potential collaborators to submit information about their organization and one or more research project ideas for consideration. Submitted material is due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 31, 2026.

LAS is interested in ideas and projects that align with these technical research themes:

• Sensemaking – Improving analysts’ abilities to efficiently and effectively search, explore, prioritize, retain, and extract value from ever-increasing volumes of multilingual data like text, video, and audio.
• Operationalizing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning – Addressing how advanced AI/ML tools and techniques can still be made useful for intelligence analysis under the variety of constraints and use-cases of a potentially restrictive operational environment. 
• Human-Centered AI – Integrating automated analysis methods into human analysts’ natural interactions and workflows to improve efficiency.

LAS is interested in advancing these analytic capabilities:

1. Video Sensemaking (explainer video)
2. Audio Sensemaking (explainer video)
3. AI Assessment and Evaluation (explainer video)
4. AI-Enabled Workflows (explainer video)
5. Agentic AI (explainer video)

Submission and Selection Process

Potential collaborators should upload a capabilities statement and one or more abstracts for potential projects. Your capabilities statement should describe relevant capabilities and prior work of your lab, group, or organization as well as why you are interested in collaborating with LAS. Abstracts should be no more than 500 words and provide an overview of a potential project you would like to propose that aligns with LAS’s interests.

NC State will review all submissions and follow-up with specific requests for proposals by August 31, 2026. If requested, you will have the opportunity to have more in-depth discussions of potential projects with LAS staff prior to submitting. The technical portion of the proposal will be limited to no more than 5 pages, and all materials will be due by September 30, 2026. Final selections will be made by November 2, 2026, with the intention of starting funded work by January 1, 2027.

July 1 – Call for Abstracts Released
July 13-24 – PI Office Hours
July 31 – Capability Statements and Abstracts Due
August 31 – Full Proposals Requested from Selected Authors
September 30 – Full Proposals Due
November 2 – Final Selections, Authors Notified
January 1, 2027 – Funded Projects Begin