National Academy of Sciences call for research ideas in the social and behavioral sciences

As part of a decadal survey of social and behavioral sciences (SBS), the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee for the Decadal Survey of Social and Behavioral Sciences for Applications to National Security (SBS Decadal Survey) invites all members of the SBS research community to join a virtual town hall onIdeaBuzz (https://ideabuzz.com/a/buzz/nasem-bbcss/sbsdecadalsurvey).

Decadal surveys are a signature type of study conducted through the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, with a rich history of success in the physical sciences. These surveys gather ideas and feedback from the research community in order to develop a plan that shapes future research initiatives. This is the first such survey undertaken for the social and behavioral sciences (SBS). An ad hoc committee of experts has been appointed to conduct a decadal survey in order to identify innovative scientific approaches and research concepts in the social and behavioral sciences relevant to national security, specifically intelligence analysis. Over the next six months, the SBS Decadal Survey will examine scientific opportunities suggested by researchers across multiple disciplines. The committee will review a broad range of input (including ideas submitted through our first and second round of white papers and IdeaBuzz) and develop an agenda for research in and across disciplines that has the potential to improve intelligence analysis and enhance fundamental knowledge. The committee will issue a public report with its conclusions and recommendations in 2019. All work will be conducted at the unclassified level.

The SBS Decadal Survey committee is utilizing the IdeaBuzz “Challenge” platform to seek input from the research community across the social and behavioral sciences in identifying and discussing scientific opportunities with the potential to contribute to national security and positively impact the work of intelligence analysts. The committee recognizes the limited exposure most scientists have to the work of intelligence analysis. Therefore, the focus of this call for information is to identify cutting-edge research (and not the implementation of the research) that with support, might improve intelligence analysis within the next 10 years.

The SBS Decadal Survey committee welcomes you and your colleagues to submit ideas and add to or comment on ideas submitted by others on IdeaBuzz(https://ideabuzz.com/a/buzz/nasem-bbcss/sbsdecadalsurvey). It will be important that voices and ideas are heard from a broad range of disciplines and research communities. The committee recognizes that much knowledge and techniques in all SBS fields -- beyond those normally associated with national security and international relations -- will have application to analytical capabilities and national security challenges.