The Network Plus for Analytical Behavioural Science (NABS+) in Security and Defence is a collaboration between the Universities of Bath, Cardiff and Edinburgh, led by the University of Lancaster.

NABS+ will have a total value of £3.5 million with over £2.8 million from UK Research and Innovation. Additionally, they will be supported by a number of network partners who will support the community through a range of resources and input.

It will bring together a community of different disciplines (in addition to the social sciences), industry, government and other stakeholder groups to facilitate independent research, understanding, and skill development that meets the needs of policymakers, government departments and other national security organizations.

Professor Laura Smith, Deputy Director of NABS+, and Director of Bath’s Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour (IDSB), said: “Researchers from Bath’s IDSB conduct cutting-edge research that places people at the heart of digital security. With this investment and opportunity for collaboration across sectors and institutions, we will be able to leverage our critical mass of expertise to generate transformative answers to some of the most pressing challenges of our time involving the threats and risks presented by the interaction between people, digital technologies, and data.”

Professor Stacey Conchie is leading the network at the University of Lancaster. She said: “I’m honoured to lead this important initiative. It complements the successes of CREST, and allows us to develop the next generation of behavioural science for security and defence. We’re committed to developing a vibrant and inclusive community of researchers and end-users who recognise the value of combining social science theory with novel data analytics to address national challenges. Our goal is to develop a community that is better equipped to respond to existential and acute threats, who understand and can navigate policy dilemmas, and who are adept at working with both ‘big’ and ‘small’ data.

“We’re aware of emerging threats to security and defence that new technologies afford, but also the potential they offer in allowing us to be more resilient. We’re proposing a range of activities that allow us to map threats and opportunities, get hands on with data, and provide ample opportunities to share our expertise with others in a meaningful and sustained way.”

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding is part of their Building a Secure and Resilient World strategic theme.

Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Lead for the UKRI Building a Secure and Resilient World strategic theme said: “We live in a highly interconnected and interdependent world where events can escalate quickly into major international social, political and economic crises. The UK needs to build societal and global resilience to these shocks, playing a facilitating role in maintaining a secure international order and managing impacts across the world. These networks will be a vital part of building that security and resilience.”