SII Planning: Creating a Visionary, Interdisciplinary, and Transformational National Center for Spectrum and Wireless Systems Research

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

This award is a planning grant for the Spectrum Innovation Initiative: National Center for Wireless Spectrum Research (SII-Center). The focus of a spectrum research SII-Center goes beyond 5G, IoT, and other existing or forthcoming systems and technologies to chart out a trajectory to ensure United States leadership in future wireless technologies, systems, and applications in science and engineering through the efficient use and sharing of the radio spectrum. Over the past four decades, worldwide growth of wireless systems has provided tremendous societal benefit, enabling increased digital connectivity, telemedicine, social media, improved weather forecasting and more. It has also put significant and competing demands on many parts of the radio spectrum. To meet these challenges, this project supports the Wireless Innovation and Spectrum Evolution (WISE); which convenes former members of the Senior Executive Service in the FCC and NTIA and university faculty from the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of California San Diego, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez. The WISE group will develop a research agenda and partnerships through workshops and discussions. Students will be supported to participate in these workshops and to develop spectrum science modules for K-12 students. Through the center development process, stakeholders from academia, the federal government, and industry will be engaged to identify key technology, policies and workforce challenges to be addressed by the center. Six core research focus areas will include: Spectrum Efficiency and Coexistence; Next Generation Radio Devices; Spectrum Science; Modeling and Measurement; Wireless Systems; and Policy, Economics and Privacy. The process of bringing researchers, policy makers, and key stakeholders will result in the development of a vision and road map for an integrated and successful Wireless Innovation and Spectrum Evolution Center. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.