The University of Lincoln has been awarded major research funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to lead a consortium of seven UK universities focused on advancing artificial intelligence for defence decision-making and wargaming.
The project, led by Dr Patrick Finnegan, Deputy Director of Executive Education and Skills at Lincoln, was one of only two selected nationwide after a competitive review. Partner institutions include the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, the Open University, Salford, Sheffield, and Ulster.
Research will centre on how advanced AI can improve complex decision-making within national security contexts, with applications for defence strategy, training, and operations. The work will explore the role of AI in enhancing human understanding and predictive modelling in adversarial scenarios, supporting the next generation of wargaming and decision-support systems.
Lincoln’s growing profile in defence research is underpinned by its close links with the Armed Forces and its leadership of the Greater Lincolnshire Regional Defence & Security Cluster. The university’s DecisionWorks initiative will provide a collaborative platform for innovation, linking government, industry, and academia.
The programme strengthens the UK’s research capacity in defence technology, supporting the development of ethical, explainable, and effective AI systems for national security.
Image credit: University of Lincoln
