​Higher Intelligence Agency (HIA) is an electronic music project founded in 1992 by Birmingham-based musician Robert (Bobby) Bird. The project emerged alongside the inception of the experimental electronic music club, Oscillate, in Birmingham, where Bird and collaborators hosted innovative live performances. HIA's debut album, Colourform, was released in 1993 and is considered a landmark in the British ambient scene. This was followed by Freefloater in 1995, further establishing HIA's reputation in ambient techno. Throughout the 1990s, Bird collaborated with artists such as Geir Jenssen (Biosphere), resulting in albums like Polar Sequences (1996) and Birmingham Frequencies (2000). He also worked with Pete Namlook on the S.H.A.D.O. series and with Deep Space Network.