Columbia University

Prof. Zussman is a co-PI on an NSF SII Planning Grant

IRIS SpectrumThe NSF has awarded a $300K/1yr Spectrum Innovation Initiative (SII) Planning Grant to a multi-university team led by Prof. Raychaudhuri at Rutgers. Prof. Zussman is one of the co-PIs, along with Professors Schulzrinne (Columbia CS), Rappaport (NYU Wireless), and Krunz (U. Arizona). SII is a recently announced program at NSF which includes funding for a planned $25M/5yrs research center with full proposals due in March 2021. An abstract of the project is given below.

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 ceenter planning with a truly interdisciplinary approach. The research agenda is comprehensive and cross-cutting, designed to address all aspects of spectrum use, as well as educational outreach.

This project is aimed at the development of a comprehensive plan for an exceptional SII-Center which would help maintain and extend US leadership in future wireless technologies, systems, and applications in science and engineering through the efficient use and sharing of radio spectrum. The team that has assembled for this SII planning proposal spans eight universities (Rutgers, Columbia, NYU, U. Arizona, UT Austin, Oregon State, Princeton, and U. Wisconsin-Madison) and consists of well-established wireless researchers with prior contributions to spectrum across a range of specializations: high frequency spectrum, economics and policy, spectrum protocols, cross layering, wireless systems physical-layer security, optical, wireless-fiber integration, wireless physical layer and modeling, network architecture, spectrum protocols, testbeds, and more. This award will fund activities towards the development of a compelling research agenda, pilot studies on key topics, engagement with research, government, and industry stakeholders, and plans for experimental infrastructure and education/workforce development.