Cyberagentur launches tender for audio forensics to obtain location information
On February 28, 2025, the Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur) published the call for proposals for the “Audio Forensics” research program. The aim is to generate valuable investigative leads for law enforcement agencies by analyzing spatial acoustic characteristics. Interested parties can apply to advance research in this highly innovative field.
The Cyberagentur is initiating the “Audio Forensics” (AuFo) research program, which deals with the analysis of audio data with regard to their recording location. The aim is to find out to what extent spatial acoustic parameters can be extracted from acoustic signals and used to identify the recording location (e.g. in terms of size, geometry or the nature of the surroundings). This could support law enforcement agencies in particular during investigations.
“Particularly in time-critical situations, such as kidnappings or hostage situations, research into methods for analyzing poor-quality audio recordings can help law enforcement investigators in their search for missing persons,” emphasizes Olivia Gräupner, research officer in the Cyberagentur’s Secure Society department.
In addition to reconstructing the recording location, the program also analyses whether certain features of the recording device allow conclusions to be drawn about the origin of the recording. The knowledge gained could help to narrow down possible sound sources or extract clear identification features.
Research is being conducted in a highly innovative area of digital forensics. While the transcription and speaker identification of audio data are already established, the analysis of meta-information to reconstruct the environment is largely unexplored. The program therefore represents a high-risk scientific and technical project with disruptive innovation potential. The open question of whether and to what extent the methods developed can be used in law enforcement with legal certainty is also an important part of the research program.
Interested research institutions and companies are invited to apply as part of the call for applications.
The invitation to tender was published in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union with the contract notice number TED 135066-2025. The end of the competition is 02.04.2025, 10:00 am.
Further information: https://www.cyberagentur.de/programme/aufo/