NSF SWIFT: Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies

NSF SWIFT: Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). Supports research in wireless technologies, including 5G and beyond, addressing spectrum challenges and innovations.

NSF 22-571: Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies (SWIFT-SAT) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Archived funding opportunity This solicitation is archived. Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements .

All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects. NSF 22-571: Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies (SWIFT) Posted: February 11, 2022 Download the solicitation (PDF, 1.

6mb) National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering Division of Computer and Network Systems Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences Division of Astronomical Sciences Directorate for Geosciences Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p. m.

submitter's local time): Important Information And Revision Notes NSF has a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Under the MOA, NSF may share information from proposals with NTIA, FCC or both, discuss the shared information with NTIA and the FCC, and may request feedback from NTIA and the FCC on proposals. The program now lists coexistence between passive ground-based observational facilities and space stations, in the radio and optical domains, as a primary challenge.

The SpectrumX SII-Center, funded in FY21, is now listed as a resource under "other information". Innovating and migrating proposal preparation and submission capabilities from FastLane to Research. gov is part of the ongoing NSF information technology modernization efforts, as described in Important Notice No. 147 .

In support of these efforts, research proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation must be prepared and submitted via Research. gov or via Grants. gov, and may not be prepared or submitted via FastLane.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the revised NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) ( NSF 22-1 ), which is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after October 4, 2021.

Summary Of Program Requirements Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies (SWIFT) The National Science Foundation's Directorates for Engineering (ENG), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Mathematical & Physical Sciences (MPS), and Geosciences (GEO) are coordinating efforts to identify new concepts and ideas on Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies (SWIFT).

A key aspect of the SWIFT program, now in its third year, is its focus on effective spectrum utilization and/or coexistence techniques, especially with passive uses, which have received less attention from researchers. Coexistence is when two or more applications use the same frequency band at the same time and/or at the same location, yet do not adversely affect one another.

Coexistence is especially difficult when at least one of the spectrum users is passive, i.e., not transmitting any radio frequency (RF) energy. Examples of coexisting systems may include passive and active systems (e.g., radio astronomy and wireless broadband communication systems, or airborne and elevated transmitters such as satellites) or two active systems (e.g., weather radar and Wi-Fi).

Example topics include communications at scale such as large-scale MIMO and intelligence surfaces, reconfigurable transceivers, energy efficient and low-power communications, innovative spectrum use and management such as joint communication and sensing, and resilient spectrum sharing, just to name a few.

Another topic of interest is the growing challenge of coexistence between ground-based astronomy and large networks of low-Earth orbiting satellites, including sunlight reflections, thermal emissions, and optical/infrared inter-satellite links.

As ground-based optical/infrared astronomy continues to advance in sensitivity and breadth of sky coverage, the need to maintain and enhance this capability in an increasingly congested optical/infrared/radio environment will become increasingly acute.

Research projects to address these issues may involve innovative satellite technology and designs that take into account satellite constellation requirements (e.g., thermal balance), innovations in astronomical instrumentation or post-processing algorithms, advancements in coordination methodologies (e.g., use of telemetry or orbital information), and other solutions.

The goal of these research projects may be the creation of new technology or significant enhancements to existing wireless infrastructure, with an aim to benefit society by improving spectrum utilization and ancillary challenges, beyond mere spectrum efficiency. The SWIFT program encourages collaborative team research that transcends the traditional boundaries of individual disciplines.

Enhancing Access to the Radio Spectrum Earth Exploration-Satellite service International Telecommunication Union Medical Implant Communication System National Radio Dynamic Zone Platform on Advanced Wireless Research Radio Frequency Interference Radio Frequency Identification Device Spectrum Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, and Security Unmanned Aircraft Systems Cognizant Program Officer(s): Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing.

See program website for any updates to the points of contact. Zhengdao Wang, ENG, telephone: (703) 292-7823, email: zwang@nsf. gov Jenshan Lin, ENG, telephone: (703) 292-7360, email: jenlin@nsf.

gov Alexander Sprintson, CISE, telephone: (703) 292-8950, email: asprints@nsf. gov Lawrence S. Goldberg, ENG, telephone: (703) 292-8339, email: lgoldber@nsf.

gov Jonathan V. Williams, MPS, telephone: (703) 292-2455, email: jonwilli@nsf. gov Murat Torlak, CISE, telephone: (703) 292-7748, email: mtorlak@nsf.

gov Lisa M. Winter, telephone: (703) 292-8519, email: lwinter@nsf. gov John M.

Chapin, MPS, telephone: (703) 292-8222, email: jchapin@nsf. gov Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): 47. 049 --- Mathematical and Physical Sciences 47.

070 --- Computer and Information Science and Engineering Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant Estimated Number of Awards: 12 to 18 Approximately 12-18 awards are anticipated, each up to $750,000 total and up to 3 years in duration, subject to the availability of funds and quality of proposals received.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $13,000,000 Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds. The budget for a given proposal should be commensurate with the complexity of the proposed research.

Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members.

Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of subawards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.

By the submission deadline, any PI, co-PI, or other senior project personnel must hold either: a tenured or tenure-track position, or a primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching position at a US-based campus of an IHE eligible to submit to this solicitation (see above), with exceptions granted for family or medical leave, as determined by the submitting organization.

Individuals with primary appointments at for-profit non-academic organizations, non-profit non-academic organizations, or at overseas branch campuses of US IHEs are not eligible. Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 2 An individual may be listed as PI, co-PI, and/or senior personnel on only two proposals submitted in response to this solicitation. In the event that an individual exceeds this limit, only the first two proposals received before the deadline will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions A.

Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent: Not required Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required Full Proposals submitted via Research. gov: NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) guidelines apply. The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.

nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp?

ods_key=pappg . Full Proposals submitted via Grants. gov: NSF Grants.

gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants. gov guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants. gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.

gov website and on the NSF website at: https://www. nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ.

jsp? ods_key=grantsgovguide ). Cost Sharing Requirements: Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Other Budgetary Limitations: Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p. m. submitter's local time): Proposal Review Information Criteria National Science Board approved criteria.

Additional merit review criteria apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Award Administration Information Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Standard NSF reporting requirements apply. The dramatic growth in use of wireless technologies has benefited society in many sectors including commerce, transportation, health, science, and defense.

However, the proliferation of new application technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), radars for transportation and motion sensing, as well as new infrastructure technologies such as broadband wireless, has brought forth new challenges that must be addressed in light of the demand on the wireless spectrum placed by such applications.

The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is limited and must be appropriately shared among all wireless systems and applications, including both active and passive uses. The increasing demand for spectrum is largely driven by commercial services such as mobile broadband wireless access.

At the same time, passive uses of spectrum including radio astronomy service (RAS) and atmospheric and geospace science under the earth exploration-satellite service (EESS) as well as critical but non-commercial active uses such as weather radar and the Global Positioning System (GPS) need to be preserved.

These services are bound by physical constraints that prevent any relocation of spectrum, and hence the operations of these services have to be protected.

The effective utilization and sharing of spectrum, a limited resource, is very important, as highlighted in the October 2018 Presidential Memorandum 1 on "Developing a Sustainable Spectrum Strategy for America's Future" and May 2019 interagency response 2 led by the National Science and Technology Council's Wireless Spectrum Research & Development Interagency Working Group (WSRD IWG), titled "Research and Development Priorities for American Leadership in Wireless Communications."

NSF continues to provide support for basic research on wireless communications and networking via its core and interdisciplinary program funding mechanisms. Past and current NSF spectrum-related programs include Enhancing Access to the Radio Spectrum (EARS), Spectrum Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, and Security (SpecEES), and Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR).

In FY 2020 NSF launched a major new initiative called the Spectrum Innovation Initiative, including the (SII) Center program (NSF 20-557) , which is in clear synergy with SWIFT and supports cross-disciplinary SWIFT proposals through the integrative research focus (see https://www. nsf. gov/mps/oma/spectrum_innovation_initiative.

jsp ). The key aspect of the SWIFT solicitation is a focus on effective spectrum utilization, on-demand spectral access and resilient coexistence especially with passive uses, and addressing challenges to passive observations from spaceborne transmitters. This will require substantial innovation in wireless technology.

Research proposed under this solicitation must go beyond past programs that focused mainly on spectral efficiency (bits/sec/Hz) and energy efficiency (bits/Joule).

Developing new methods or techniques enabling effective spectrum utilization and/or coexistence will enable wireless systems and networks to support the high performance (e.g., higher data-rates, lower latency) and dense deployments that will be needed by future applications operating in spectrally adjacent channels or in co-channel.

Wireless research and development today require a focus on robust, reliable, and secure wireless systems and networks for the next generation networks and systems.

Research focusing on novel efficient device design, advanced RF/analog hardware security, circuit and antenna design, communication theory, signal processing, new algorithms and protocols, machine learning etc. should come together to address the upcoming challenges facing wireless systems and networks.

Research that will enable the above will likely provide immense societal benefits provided that the integrity of passive receive-only uses is also preserved. Awareness of spectrum usage by existing critical passive and active systems and their associated requirements is necessary to develop new technologies for effective future spectrum sharing.

Spectrum innovations may focus on any part of the EM spectrum from kHz to terahertz (THz), as well as ancillary challenges such as optical/infrared brightness of satellite constellations to astronomical observatories as detailed in the SATCON and Dark and Quiet Skies reports 3 .

Wireless application domains include future mobile broadband, IoT, CubeSat, UAS communications, satellite/space communications, remote sensors, sensing systems for intelligent infrastructure, wearable/implantable medical devices, radio astronomy, automotive radar, weather radar, and aircraft communications etc. 1 https://trumpwhitehouse. archives.

gov/presidential-actions/presidential-memorandum-developing-sustainable-spectrum-strategy-americas-future/ 2 https://trumpwhitehouse. archives. gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Research-and-Development-Priorities-for-American-Leadership-in-Wireless-Communications-Report-May-2019.

pdf 3 SATCON reports: https://baas. aas. org/report-of-the-satcon2-workshop-1216-july-2021 ; Dark and Quiet Skies reports: https://www.

iau. org/news/announcements/detail/ann21002/ . New applications that rely on utilizing more wireless spectrum promise significant societal and economic benefits, but at the same time, many commercial and military wireless devices and systems, radio astronomy observatories, and weather radar systems need to operate in quiet EM environments or without interference from other signals.

The demands on the spectrum often threaten the operations of such existing technologies that offer critical service to society. Innovation in spectrum use and management provides a means to ensure that the spectrum resources are utilized in a manner that benefits all applications, both current and emergent, including those operating at higher frequencies such as millimeter-wave (mm-wave) and terahertz (THz).

As spectrum becomes more congested, future wireless systems and passive uses will be required to share spectrum and/or be very tightly packed together.

In order to enable these kinds of deployments, innovations are sought on (i) transmitter technologies, such as filters, antennas, switches and amplifiers that must ensure high in-band performance along with ultra-low spurious out-of-band emission, (ii) receiver technologies that must show significant advancement to ensure that receivers can function in the presence of strong interference, both co-channel and adjacent channel, (iii) physical layer (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) protocols that are not constrained by existing standards (e.g. cellular and Wi-Fi), (iv) machine learning and AI techniques that allow effective spectrum sharing and access, and (v) spectrum coexistence methods that go beyond the standard sensing and database management methods used today.

SWIFT encourages hardware researchers to collaborate with communication theory/signal processing and system/network researchers to make the most meaningful impact. Significant advances in communication theory, networks, and protocol research are needed to allow effective coordination and maximum utilization of the spectrum.

The development of innovative methods to utilize vast amounts of data and allow smart decision making will likely play an important role, which could be considered within an artificial intelligence (AI) framework to ensure effective spectrum utilization and coordination.

All proposals submitted in response to the SWIFT program must address at least one of the following three primary challenges: Spectrum Utilization – Innovations are sought on ways to improve the spectrum utilization efficiency or security within frequency bands that are preallocated for wireless communications and networking.

These may include, but are not limited to, massive multiple-input multiple-output antenna arrays, advanced signal processing for communications and networking, novel and efficient error-control coding, joint source-channel coding, passive and active intelligent surfaces, combined model-based and data-based transceiver designs and optimization, trade-off between capacity and complexity, cloud-based radio signal processing, and security based on analog, RF, and mixed-signals circuits.

On-Demand Spectrum Access and Resilient Coexistence - Innovations are sought that develop schemes and protocols for effective spectrum sharing. The proposal should specify whether the spectrum sharing involves 1) active users that have access to a centralized server, 2) active users that do not have access to a centralized server, and 3) passive users that do not transmit.

Performance metrics, evaluation criteria, and a roadmap for possible adoption should be discussed. Proposers should articulate how their proposed efforts will ensure that the scarce EM spectrum will be effectively utilized while other uses are being protected through RFI excision, avoidance, and other methods.

For methods and techniques that allow co-channel or adjacent channel use of spectrum bands currently exclusively reserved for passive use, the proposal should account for the fact that the interference thresholds for passive users are orders of magnitude lower than those of active users of spectrum.

Dark and Quiet Skies: Challenges to passive observations from space-borne transmitters – Innovations are sought that develop methods and protocols for both the space-borne transmitters (e.g., satellites) and ground-based observational facilities (e.g., radio or optical/infrared telescopes) for effective coexistence.

The proposal should specify the focus, whether methods and techniques for innovative satellite designs (e.g., to minimize apparent visual brightness, reduce radio footprint) or ground-based mitigation techniques.

For proposals that address the coexistence challenge involving passive users, including challenges to ground-based optical/infrared and radio astronomy from networks of satellites, examples of specific bands of interest include passive bands recognized for protection in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations (RR) such as 1400 – 1427 MHz, 1610. 6 – 1613. 8 MHz, 2690 – 2700 MHz, 10.

68 – 10. 7 GHz, 15. 35 – 15.

4 GHz, 18. 6 – 18. 8 GHz, 23.

6 – 24 GHz, 42. 5 – 43. 5 GHz, 50.

2 – 50. 4 GHz, and other bands noted as allocated to passive services or explicitly noted in RR No. 5. 340 and 5.

149 4 . For proposals that address coexistence challenges involving active users, the frequency bands of interest include e.g., industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) bands, TV bands, Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). 4 See https://www.

ntia. doc. gov/files/ntia/publications/4c_21_1.

pdf . Examples of innovation areas are provided below, which are not meant to be exclusive or exhaustive: High Performance RF/Analog/Mixed-Signal Hardware Technologies - As more and more emphases are placed on mm-wave and even THz frequency bands significant advances are needed in hardware technologies that can realize the full potential for those frequency bands.

High performance hardware technologies are also in need for frequencies beyond the currently used commercial wireless applications, e.g., 6 GHz.

Key challenges in the hardware innovation front may include output power, efficiency, latency, size, thermal management, hardware security, wide-band spectrum sensing and transceiver design, etc. Researchers should focus on addressing challenges from the ground up, e.g., from devices to circuits to higher layers through cross-layer design.

Examples may include, but are not limited to: Hardware components such as tunable high fidelity notch filters, antennas that can adjust harmonics without affecting performance in the primary band, and other equipment that could be retrofitted to devices to enhance dynamic spectrum sharing capability without device redesign or replacement.

Novel high-performance semiconductor devices and innovative circuits to build components, algorithms and methodologies that either significantly improve system performance and/or allow the creation of new interference-immune systems.

High-performance filters, antennas and radiating surfaces or apertures, amplifiers, mixers, receivers, communication theory methods and algorithms, and network protocols to ensure effective coordination among users, systems, and platforms.

Novel higher layer protocols that can leverage improvements in devices, e.g., the improvement of medium access when new devices can provide better co-channel and/or adjacent channel interference rejection due to hardware and algorithmic improvements.

Potentially transformative high-performance semiconductor devices, circuits, modules, protocols, algorithms, and systems that use new materials, methods or techniques and achieve significant size and weight (for hardware) reduction and cost savings (for products) to facilitate their ubiquitous deployment and usage.

Hardware, communication, sensing, and networking technologies for passive or semi-passive low-power systems and networks, underwater communications, and communications and sensing in extreme environments, e.g., in polar areas and space. Reconfigurable wide-band multi-antenna transceivers, energy-efficient high-power RF front ends, wide-band tunable front ends, and reconfigurable antennas.

Innovative low noise amplifiers and RF front-ends with interference sensing and rejection. Secured and/or verifiable spectrum use through RF/Analog/Mixed-Signal Techniques – Security and verifiability are of paramount importance to protect storage and flow of information and ensure trust in any coexistence scheme.

While the EM spectrum is being shared by an increasing number of wireless devices, it is critical to ensure the security of wireless communications and sensing. Innovative approaches to enhance communication and network security and verification are strongly encouraged.

These approaches could include a combination of RF, analog, mixed-signal, protocol and/or algorithmic techniques; Proposed cross-layer solutions should include physical layer hardware and protocols.

Solutions restricted to a single layer are better suited to existing core programs in the individual participating divisions named in this solicitation; and Innovative low-cost security techniques for unlicensed band applications (e.g., WiFi, RFID, MICS etc.) System Architectures, Designs, and Algorithms – Future communication systems need to operate in more challenging scenarios with higher stringent performance requirements.

These may include for example, higher carrier frequencies, higher spectrum utilization efficiency, low and intermittent available power, coexistence with other active and passive radio systems, lower latencies, high user density, and fast changing environments. Novel architectures, system designs, and algorithms that can significantly improve suitably defined system performances and are customized for target applications are desirable.

These may include, but are not limited to: System design and algorithms that can better cope with channel and device uncertainties and imperfections such as carrier frequency offset and phase noises at higher carrier frequencies; Communications at scale: large-scale MIMO and intelligent surfaces, long range, satellite, inter-satellite, and space communications; Communications for internet of things: uncoordinated multiple access, machine-to-machine communications, energy efficient signaling and network design, low power communications, and communications with harvested energy; Reconfigurable surfaces that can adaptively change the electromagnetic wave propagation environment and associated design, control and optimization algorithms; Communications and networking with ultra-low latency; Machine learning and AI for transceiver design, spectrum sharing, interference and network management; and distributed wireless communications and scheduling algorithms and designs for machine learning applications.

Resilient Spectrum Sharing – One primary challenge of the SWIFT program is spectrum sharing and coexistence.

To speed up deployment of spectrum sharing systems, innovations are sought in the following areas: Quantitative interference risk analysis and security analysis of spectrum sharing mechanisms Bounding the performance of artificial intelligence/machine learning subsystems used in spectrum sharing mechanisms, and assessing the bias that may be present in training data Improved methods to protect ground-based astronomical observations from radio frequency interference due to satellites, including aggregate interference from large networks and multiple networks On-line prediction of potential interference, and rapid detection and identification of the source of interference, drawing on spectrum monitoring data and on telemetry from spectrum users On-line computation of constraints on the operation of spectrum users that minimizes interference while also minimizing impact on mission goals Methods to limit the likelihood, severity, duration, or impact of interference, including interference resulting from software bugs, hardware faults or other equipment malfunctions, spurious emissions, out-of-band emissions, intermodulation effects, or malicious attacks Collection or obfuscation of spectrum monitoring data in ways that protect privacy and operational security while acquiring and preserving the information needed for zone management Technologies and techniques to better control emissions, including out-of-band emissions.

Systems that incorporate multifunction and multi-mission capabilities to address and avoid frequency conflict. Increase the speed of information sharing for faster collaboration between heterogeneous spectrum systems (e.g., wireless, radiolocation, radar, meteorological, and science systems), while maintaining privacy and security. Improved sensing and monitoring systems for heterogeneous and adaptive wireless systems.

Automated spectrum management tools and capabilities to improve efficiency, flexibility, and adaptiveness to take advantage of temporary spectrum allocations and unlicensed spectrum.

Innovations in Spectrum Use and Management – The program encourages innovations in novel and more effective spectrum use and management for emerging applications, as well for more equitable access to spectrum, such as Communications and networking for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV); Vehicle-to-vehicle communications and networking for future transportation systems; Innovative use of wireless signals for sensing applications, and joint sensing and communication systems that possibly involve fusion of multiple types of sensory data; System designs and innovative solutions for rural wireless broadband access; Ancillary Challenges – This program seeks to promote means to decrease unintended impacts of wireless transmitters.

Some spectrum-use applications may lead to challenges indirectly versus those directly caused by intended transmissions, such as Optical/infrared astronomy and satellites: Means to evaluate, prevent, and mitigate optical/infrared impacts to ground-based astronomy observatories due to sunlight reflections, thermal emissions, and optical/infrared inter-satellite links from low-Earth orbiting satellite constellations; Harmonics, out-of-band or spurious emissions.

The SWIFT program encourages different research communities to work together to meet the challenges of sharing the same spectrum between two or more collocated systems which could be either active-active or active-passive. Prospective investigators in the SWIFT program should carefully consider whether a planned proposal is best suited for the SWIFT program or for an existing disciplinary program.

Proposals that are more suited for an existing disciplinary program should not be submitted to SWIFT. Successful projects awarded under this program are expected to create opportunities for students to learn cross-layer wireless system design, various types of wireless applications, as well as spectrum regulations.

Student training enabled by this program has the potential to address unique workforce needs in government and industry as it pertains to innovating with a keen awareness of the wireless spectrum. Proposers should consider utilizing publicly available wireless-related resources to evaluate or demonstrate their innovations.

Evaluation of new technologies through wireless testbeds and collaborations with government labs or industry are examples. A short list of resources include NSF-funded platforms and centers such as the NSFFutureCloud projects ( Chameleon Lab and CloudLab ), FABRIC , and PAWR platforms , NSF's NOIRLab and SATCON workshops ( https://aas.

org/satellite-constellations-2-workshop ), NSF's National Radio Astronomy Observatory resources, NSF's SII-Center (e.g., SpectrumX ), NIST testbeds and facilities , NIST-led NextG channel model alliance and data repository , and publicly available open-source simulation platforms such as ns-3 ( https://www. nsnam. org ).

A number of relevant reports of multiple workshops, identifying challenges of spectrum existence and transmitter/receiver technologies, convened by the WSRD IWG are available online at https://www. nitrd. gov/coordination-areas/wsrd/#Recent-Publications .

Proposers could also consider engaging spectrum stakeholders such as from industry and government agencies. Experiments involving transmission in certain frequency bands may require a license to operate. For questions regarding the proposed frequency usage and the license requirement, please contact the NSF Electromagnetic Spectrum Management Office (email: esm@nsf.

gov ) for assistance. Please note: Each proposal budget must include funding for travel for a PI or Co-PI and up to one other project participant to attend annual two-day PI meetings in the Washington, DC, area during the award period. In addition to the standard NSF proposal processing and review procedures described in Section VI below, the following steps may occur.

Pursuant to the MOA with the NTIA and FCC, NSF may share information from proposals with NTIA, FCC or both, may discuss the shared information with NTIA and the FCC, and may request feedback from NTIA and the FCC on the merit of proposals.

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant Estimated Number of Awards: 12 to 18 Approximately 12-18 awards are anticipated, each up to $750,000 total and up to 3 years in duration, subject to the availability of funds and quality of proposals received. Anticipated Funding Amount: $13,000,000 Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.

The budget for a given proposal should be commensurate with the complexity of the proposed research. IV. Eligibility Information Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members.

Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of subawards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.

By the submission deadline, any PI, co-PI, or other senior project personnel must hold either: a tenured or tenure-track position, or a primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research or teaching position at a US-based campus of an IHE eligible to submit to this solicitation (see above), with exceptions granted for family or medical leave, as determined by the submitting organization.

Individuals with primary appointments at for-profit non-academic organizations, non-profit non-academic organizations, or at overseas branch campuses of US IHEs are not eligible. Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 2 An individual may be listed as PI, co-PI, and/or senior personnel on only two proposals submitted in response to this solicitation. In the event that an individual exceeds this limit, only the first two proposals received before the deadline will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review.

Additional Eligibility Info: Proposals may only be submitted by IHEs, with the following exception: Proposals aimed at coexistence between ground-based radio or optical/infrared astronomy and satellite networks ("SWIFT-SAT") may also be submitted by NSF's FFRDCs including NOIRLab and NRAO. Proposals must include two or more PI and Co-PI forming a team with complementary expertise.

Synergistic collaborations or partnerships with industry or government are encouraged where appropriate, though no NSF funds will be provided to these organizations. Researchers from foreign academic institutions who contribute essential expertise to the project may participate as senior personnel or collaborators but may not receive NSF support. V.

Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions A. Proposal Preparation Instructions Full Proposal Preparation Instructions : Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Research. gov or Grants.

gov. Full Proposals submitted via Research. gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.

nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp?

ods_key=pappg . Paper copies of the PAPPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf. gov .

The Prepare New Proposal setup will prompt you for the program solicitation number. Full proposals submitted via Grants. gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation via Grants.

gov should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants. gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants. gov .

The complete text of the NSF Grants. gov Application Guide is available on the Grants. gov website and on the NSF website at: ( https://www.

nsf. gov/publications/pub_summ. jsp?

ods_key=grantsgovguide ). To obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package,