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. This award is for planning activities for a Center of Spectrum Policies, Economics, Coexistence, and Technological Research Advancements (SPECTRA), which will be a center of excellence for all spectrum-related issues for all stakeholders including government (federal, state and local, including regulatory agencies), industry, defense. The center will focus on future spectrum issues, projecting 5 to 10 years and beyond. The center will foster a multidisciplinary effort drawing on key contributors from the academia, industry partners ranging from service providers, equipment suppliers, and semiconductor manufacturers, as well as government labs. SPECTRA will work collaboratively with all stakeholders as part of its research activities but also from the beginning of the planning stages. A number of research theme areas will be explored during the SPECTRA planning process, including regulatory policies, new frequency bands, radio astronomy, atmospherics, weather sciences, cognitive radar, and cognitive radio. Spectrum partnership with all stakeholders, which includes an international component, will be developed in planning the SPECTRA Center and preparing a full spectrum innovation initiative center proposal. Collaborations and integrations with national and international leading radio test beds will be explored in planning SPECTRA infrastructure. One of the most critical efforts in the SPECTRA Center is the education and workforce development in radio spectrum science and engineering, which will be conducted by not only academic institutions, but also industry and other spectrum stakeholders. SPECTRA Center will address societal issues, serve communities, and contribute to reducing socioeconomic disparities in science, technology, and engineering fields.
This award will fund planning activities for a Center of Spectrum Policies, Economics, Coexistence, and Technological Research Advancements (SPECTRA), which will draw expertise and resources from the US and Europe and create a multidisciplinary organization that will conduct research, foster collaboration, and guide policy making in spectrum utilization. Expertise at the center will include electrical engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence, semiconductor device technologies including analog and radio frequency design, information theory, signal processing, statistical interference, quantum sensing and networking, radio frequency safety, public policy, defense communications, law enforcement communications, radio astronomy, atmospherics, weather sciences, economics, physics and neuroscience. SPECTRA will utilize testing facilities, especially those funded by NSF. Topics of research will include new techniques for evaluating and quantifying harmful interference, spectrum sensing, spectrum sharing protocols, the economics of spectrum use, legal issues, dynamic spectrum access and exploitation of new frequency bands such as the Terahertz band, crowd-sensing of a variety of observables for smart environments, location and context awareness, integration of wireless and artificial intelligence, quantum information science applied to networks, and future scenario analysis for spectrum 5-10 years in the future. Topics of research in radio astronomy, atmospherics, and weather sciences will be explored. SPECTRA Center has the means, the expertise, the intention and the drive to bring the fruits of our effort to the broader communities. SPECTRA investigations and experiments will advance scientific research in diverse engineering and applications areas to serve the society and communities. SPECTRA Center carries out significant educational and workforce development programs, including new graduate certificate programs in radio spectrum science and engineering, capstone senior projects utilizing SPECTRA infrastructure, K-12 Summer Camps focused on mentoring students from under-represented communities, and annual radio spectrum summer school and symposium.
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.
