NSF VINES Program

NSF VINES Program is sponsored by National Science Foundation. Invests in advanced wireless communication systems, potentially including 5G technologies relevant to autonomous drones.

NSF 25-539: Verticals-enabling Intelligent Network Systems (VINES) | 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 25-539: Verticals-enabling Intelligent Network Systems (VINES) To save a PDF of this solicitation, select Print to PDF in your browser's print options.

U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering Division of Computer and Network Systems Directorate for Engineering Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Department of Homeland Security, Science & Technology Directorate Innovation Funding Agency Business Finland Japan Science and Technology Agency Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, India National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Japan National Institute of Standards and Technology Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Research Council of Finland Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.

m. submitting organization's local time): Track 2 (Submission of a Concept Outline by August 25th is required. See full text for additional information) A Concept Outline (CO) is required for Track 2 only .

PIs interested in responding to Track 2 of this solicitation must submit a Concept Outline to vines-track2@nsf. gov by August 25, 2025 prior to submission of a proposal to aid in determining the appropriateness of the scope and work for consideration under this opportunity.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted.

The NSF PAPPG is regularly revised and it is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets the requirements specified in this solicitation and the applicable version of the PAPPG. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Verticals-enabling Intelligent Network Systems (VINES) The VINES program seeks to support both fundamental research and verticals-driven technology development, demonstration, and translation activities that will lead to leaps in performance and capabilities of next generation (NextG) advanced intelligent network systems that span the user-edge-core-cloud continuum.

The program seeks to go beyond the current research portfolios within individual participating NSF directorates and partner organizations by simultaneously emphasizing gains in performance and capabilities without compromising resilience and interoperability across all layers of the networking protocol and computation stacks.

Innovations are sought across the various aspects of next generation communications, networking, and computing systems. This program is a multisector effort led by the National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with several industry and international agency partners, and in cooperation with other U.S. Federal agencies. It recognizes the importance of advanced telecommunications as a key technology area.

The program seeks to enhance U.S. competitiveness in advanced telecommunications technologies to establish itself as a global leader in both NextG wireless telecommunications and emerging potential NextG vertical industries, as well as address the need for skilled workforce and expertise in these technology areas.

VINES expects to increase investments in foundational technology innovations and their translation while leveraging international eco-system partners to drive the principles of open and trustworthy networks. It seeks to fund collaborative research that transcends the traditional boundaries of individual disciplines or geographic boundaries to achieve the program goals.

This program is organized into two Tracks: Track 1 (Use-inspired Fundamental Research) will support activities focused on use-inspired fundamental research to develop novel networking techniques and solutions.

Track 2 (Verticals-Driven Technology Development, Demonstration, and Translation) will support activities focused on technology development, maturation, demonstration, integration, and translation of solutions with higher technology readiness levels (TRLs), with the goal of producing adoption-ready technologies. Industry contributions will not be used to fund Track 2.

Companies specifically listed in this solicitation have committed to providing annual unrestricted donations to NSF for the purpose of funding proposals in Track 1. The reference to " industry partners " in this document refers specifically to Ericsson, Intel, and Qualcomm in their role as funding partners in this solicitation.

The donations from these partners have been agreed upon based on a shared belief in the importance of advancing use-inspired fundamental research, education, and workforce development goals identified in Track 1.

In the spirit of a whole-of-government approach, the collaborating U.S. Federal agencies listed on this solicitation, NIST, OUSD (R&E), and DHS, referred to as " Federal partners ," have participated in the development of this solicitation. NIST, OUSD (R&E), and DHS intend to consider co-funding proposals subject to availability of funds.

Proposals will be recommended for funding in accordance with the NSF Selection Process described below. The collaborating U.S. agencies may consider funding or co-funding of proposals from either track in this solicitation. Any funds transferred from these partners to NSF will be combined with NSF and other partner funds where applicable to make awards under this program.

These awards are made and managed at NSF. As the NextG networks eco-system is global, this program also partners with international agencies to advance research and accelerate technology translation in the spirit of principles and values outlined in the February 26, 2024, " Joint Statement Endorsing Principles for 6G: Secure, Open, and Resilient by Design ."

International funding agencies listed in this solicitation, referred to as " international partners ," from Finland, India, Japan, and Sweden have participated in the development of this solicitation. This program seeks proposals formed entirely by U.S. funded teams, as well as international collaborative proposals formed by U.S. and international partner funded teams.

Personnel requesting funding from international partners on international collaborative proposals are referred to as foreign collaborators. For international collaborative proposals, this program supports bi-lateral international projects with the U.S., i.e., projects seeking funding from the U.S. in partnership with only one of the participating international partners.

Proposals will be recommended for funding in accordance with the NSF Selection Process described below. International collaborative proposals are expected to have the international team funded by the respective international partner.

AI - Artificial Intelligence Gbps - Giga-bits per second ISAC - Integrated Sensing and Communications MIMO - Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output ms Millisecond PAPPG - Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide PAWR - Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research TRL - Technology Readiness Level UAV - Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles NSF has a mandate to broaden participation in science and engineering, as articulated and reaffirmed in law since 1950.

Congress has charged NSF to "develop intellectual capital, both people and ideas, with particular emphasis on groups and regions that traditionally have not participated fully in science, mathematics, and engineering." 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.

Alhussein A. Abouzeid, telephone: (703) 292-7855, email: aabouzei@nsf. gov Sudharman Jayaweera Kankanamge, telephone: (703) 292-2828, email: sjayawee@nsf.

gov John M. Chapin, telephone: (703) 292-8222, email: jchapin@nsf. gov Huaiyu Dai, telephone: (703) 292-4568, email: hdai@nsf.

gov Hang Liu, telephone: (703) 292-5139, email: haliu@nsf. gov Jenshan Lin, telephone: (703) 292-7360, email: jenlin@nsf. gov Abraham Matta, telephone: (703) 292-4624, email: amatta@nsf.

gov Daniela A. Oliveira, telephone: (703) 292-4352, email: doliveir@nsf. gov Phillip A.

Regalia, telephone: (703) 292-2981, email: pregalia@nsf. gov Xiaogang Wang, telephone: (703) 292-2812, email: xiawang@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 47. 084 --- NSF Technology, Innovation and Partnerships 97.

108 --- Department of Homeland Security, Science & Technology Directorate Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant or Cooperative Agreement Estimated Number of Awards: 28 to 40 Track 1: Approximately 20 - 30 awards are anticipated, with each award up to $1,500,000 total and up to 3 years in duration, subject to the availability of funds and the quality of proposals received.

For international collaborative proposals, the budget for the U.S. team is up to $750,000, with the expectation that the international partner agency will provide matching funds for the international team for a complementary collaborative effort commensurate with the scope of the project.

Track 2: Approximately 8 - 10 awards are anticipated, with each award up to $6,000,000 total for up to 3 years in duration, subject to the availability of funds and the quality of proposals received.

For international collaborative proposals, the budget for the U.S. team can range between $2 million to $4 million, with the expectation that the international partner agency will provide funds for the international team for a complementary collaborative effort commensurate with the scope of the project. The total combined budget must not exceed $6 million.

Anticipated Funding Amount: Track 1: Up to $1,500,000 total per award Track 2: Up to $6,000,000 per award U.S. Teams for Track 1: $33,000,000 U.S. Teams for Track 2: $33,000,000 Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Proposals for Track 1 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 U.S., acting on behalf of their faculty members.

Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities.

Proposals for Track 2 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 U.S., acting on behalf of their faculty members.

Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. For-profit organizations: U.S.-based commercial organizations, including small businesses, with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education.

State and Local Governments: State educational offices or organizations and local school districts. Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131.

At the time of submission, any PI, co-PI, or other senior/key 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 U.S.-based campus of an organization 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 or at overseas branch campuses of U.S. IHEs are not eligible. Researchers from foreign academic institutions who contribute essential expertise to the project may participate as senior/key personnel or collaborators but may not receive NSF support. Individuals with primary appointments at overseas branch campuses of U.S. IHEs are not eligible.

There are no other restrictions except those identified in PAPPG Chapter 1. E. 3 Guidelines for the Participation of Industry Partners and Affiliated Individuals in Proposals Guidelines for Industry Partners: An industry partner is permitted to participate in proposals to Track 2.

An industry partner is not, however, permitted to participate in proposals to Track 1. The company may not participate in such proposals in any way as a collaborator, whether funded or unfunded. For example, the company may not submit a letter of collaboration as part of any Track 1 proposal.

Guidelines for Individuals Affiliated with Industry Partners: Track 1: Individuals affiliated with an industry partner may participate in proposals to the program subject to certain limitations and allowances. These limitations and allowances apply to individuals who are currently employed by, consulting for, or on an active agreement to provide services for the company.

Specifically: Such individuals may not participate in their capacity with the industry partner. Such individuals may participate if they (i) hold a primary appointment at another organization not partnered on the program (e.g., a primary academic appointment at an institution of higher education), as applicable to and defined by that organization, and (ii) do so strictly in their capacity at that other organization.

Track 2: There are no restrictions. Proposals that violate the above restrictions will be returned without review. Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 4 An individual may be listed as PI, co-PI, and/or Senior/Key Personnel on no more than two Track 1 U.S.-only proposals (i.e. proposals that do not have an international collaboration) submitted in response to this solicitation. In the event that an individual exceeds this limit, only the first two proposals received will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review.

In addition, an individual may be listed as PI, co-PI, and/or Senior/Key Personnel on no more than one Track 1 international collaborative proposal (i.e. a proposal that includes international collaboration) submitted in response to this solicitation. In the event that an individual exceeds this limit, only the first proposal received will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review.

An individual may serve as PI or co-PI on only one Track 2 proposal in this competition, but may serve as Senior/Key Personnel or Other Personnel on any number of Track 2 proposals in this competition. In the event that an individual exceeds the PI/co-PI limit, only the first proposal received for this track will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review.

In determining the PI, co-PI and Senior/Key Personnel limits for U.S. investigators for Track 2, teams with and without foreign collaborators are treated together. Specifically, a U.S. investigator can be the PI or co-PI in only one Track 2 proposal regardless of whether the proposals include foreign collaborations.

For international collaborative proposals, foreign collaborators should not be listed on the NSF proposal coversheet and are not considered NSF Senior/Key Personnel (see detailed proposal preparation instructions). Foreign collaborators should follow the investigator limit guidelines provided by the respective international partner agency from which the foreign collaborators will be seeking funding.

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.

submitting organization's local time): Track 2 (Submission of a Concept Outline by August 25th is required. See full text for additional information) 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 Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Summary of Program Requirements Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions Proposal Preparation Instructions Research.

gov/Grants. gov Requirements NSF Proposal Processing and Review Procedures Merit Review Principles and Criteria Review and Selection Process Award Administration Information Notification of the Award Despite the tremendous growth and impact of communication networks over the last two decades, many envisioned advanced network capabilities and features still remain beyond reach.

The next generation (NextG) of advanced intelligent network systems is expected to support a wide range of future use cases including smart cities, autonomous networked systems (e.g., autonomous driving), smart agriculture, tele-medicine, disaster response, and industrial automation.

Envisioned groundbreaking applications include, for example, holographic communication and immersive networked virtual environments, with a focus on interactive real-time and seamless connectivity.

NextG network systems are expected to achieve leaps in capabilities, while improving network performance, efficiency, resilience, and availability, and address emerging challenges in spectrum sharing and coexistence, data privacy, and security. NextG network systems will leverage various technological advances in all relevant disciplines to advance the performance and capabilities of network systems.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), jointly referred to as AI in this document, will be deeply embedded in NextG networks, potentially transforming how they are designed, managed, and utilized. In turn, NextG networks may impact the advancement of AI.

NextG will advance spectrum sharing-native technologies to achieve reliable access to spectrum while maintaining quality of service (QoS) across different applications and uses, such as critical communications and low-latency services, to maximize the use of available spectrum.

NextG network systems are expected to be energy efficient, which is a particularly challenging goal given the growing number of devices, demand for sophisticated services requiring ultra-low latency, and the utilization of computationally demanding algorithms that power AI.

NextG networks are expected to utilize integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) technologies, offering a potentially major technological shift in network design and management, enhancing performance and capabilities, while enabling advanced applications. NextG networks' provision of such new performance capabilities and services cannot be done at the expense of security, reliability and trustworthiness.

It is crucial for NextG network systems to maintain high levels of resiliency, reliability, and availability at scale, regardless of their complexity, with strong expectations for privacy, performance, and service assurance. The VINES program aims to speed up the rate of innovations in NextG networks towards open, global, interoperable, reliable, resilient, secure, and privacy-preserving networks.

This program also invites collaborative proposals from countries whose agencies have partnered with NSF to support international collaborative research.

Interested proposers from international partner countries are expected to form joint project teams with collaborating institutions from the U.S. NextG network systems will support dynamically varying demands for data processing, dissemination, and storage, often in a distributed user-access-edge-core-cloud continuum context.

These network systems are expected to provide personalized and composable services, enable real-time computing/learning capabilities and facilitate large-scale content distribution, underpinned by a high-performance foundation of advanced wireless connectivity and mobility support. They will feature dynamic compositions of heterogenous components, systems and fabrics using advanced architectures.

Advancing from the basic best-effort network design that is implicit in the network architecture, service providers are looking to offer end-to-end "slices" of the network system, spanning the access-edge-core-cloud, with varying quality of service to various industries.

Important industry sectors and use cases include healthcare, smart agriculture, critical infrastructure, disaster response, logistics, finance, entertainment, training, defense and national security, each of which entails a unique set of network capabilities and service assurance requirements, while maintaining security, reliability, and privacy.

Providing performance capabilities that can support future envisioned network applications is the focus of this program. After several decades of advances in communication networks, the network architecture design has not kept up with, on the one hand, technology advances such as AI, and on the other hand, changes in requirements and constraints due to emerging use cases and the evolving spectrum environment.

Recent developments in AI tools and techniques have significant potential for achieving zero-touch self-managing NextG networks that include a high degree of operational agility. AI-native intelligence will enable network systems to self-adapt and learn to re-allocate resources to meet application requirements.

It will also enable them to respond to performance issues and emerging threats by reprogramming and/or reconfiguring themselves following failures or attacks. Autonomy can also potentially enable zero-trust systems models in the network and thus support strong security properties even in the presence of untrustworthy hardware, software, or network operators.

The scope of this program includes areas critical to future generations of wireless networks and network systems, such as new wireless devices, circuits, protocols, and systems for 6G and beyond (not limiting to cellular); security, privacy, and resiliency; mobile edge computing; distributed machine learning and inferences across mobile devices; and fine-grained and real-time dynamic spectrum allocation and sharing.

This solicitation is organized into two Tracks: Track 1 (Use-inspired Fundamental Research) supports activities focused on use-inspired fundamental research to develop novel networking techniques and solutions. Industry partner contributions will be utilized to support proposals from this track. International collaborative proposals are expected to have the foreign collaborators funded by their respective international partner agency.

Track 2 (Verticals-Driven Technology Development, Demonstration and Translation) supports activities focused on technology development, maturation, demonstration, integration, and translation of solutions with higher TRLs, with the goal of leading to adoption-ready technologies. Industry contributions will not be used to fund track 2.

International collaborative proposals are expected to have the foreign collaborators funded by their respective international partner agency. The partner participation, eligibility to apply, and role in the review process may differ for each track depending on the type of partner (industry versus international).

Collaborating U.S. government agencies may choose to co-fund proposals from either track subject to availability of funds and the alignment of a particular proposal with their missions and interests. II. 1 Track 1 Goals and Themes: Use-inspired Fundamental Research VINES Track 1 aims to accelerate research in technology areas with high potential for impact on enabling future network capabilities and emerging use cases.

The focus is on innovations in promising technologies across various disciplines that lead to leaps in performance and capabilities of future networks and networked systems.

This program thus complements the current NSF research portfolio that supports basic research in the theory and practice of individual emerging topics, including AI, edge computing, radio communications, innovative transmit/receive technologies, dynamic spectrum utilization and other techniques to support coexistence with passive scientific uses of spectrum, security and privacy.

Track 1 of this program aims to support use-inspired fundamental research. A proposal submitted in response to Track 1 of this program must address one or more research vectors (RVs) from each of the two groups listed below. Each proposal should clearly identify the RVs chosen in the text of the project description.

The program strongly encourages cross-layer collaboration or teaming to meet the stated goals. The RVs described below for both Advanced Network Capabilities (Group A) and Enabling Technologies (Group B) are not arranged in any order of preference and will be given equal consideration. In addition, the specific research topics within each RV are provided only as examples and are not intended to be suggestive or exhaustive.

Proposals must clearly describe the synergy between RVs chosen from Group A and Group B, i.e., how the proposed technology advances in Group B enable the targeted network capabilities from Group A – this is an essential requirement for a Track 1 proposal. II. 1.

a Group A: Advanced Network Capabilities The main theme of any Track 1 proposal must address at least one of the RVs within this group (Group A). The advanced capabilities can be viewed from a variety of perspectives. Each proposal should explain how the proposed research will seek to advance the network capabilities beyond what is possible with today's networks.

A1: Enabling Emerging Verticals "Emerging verticals" in the context of NextG networks refers to application domains or sectors that are evolving by leveraging advanced networking technologies to transform their performance, ease of use, services, or operating models.

These verticals can be industries or sectors that have not so far been heavily reliant on communication networks but are increasingly integrating next-generation network capabilities such as 5G/6G, edge computing, IoT (including ambient IoT), and AI to innovate and enhance their offerings. Examples include healthcare, transportation, smart cities, smart power grid, entertainment, education, and agriculture sectors.

They may also be applications that have been envisioned conceptually but not fully realized due to networking technology limitations, such as telesurgery or telepresence. For verticals that are significantly influenced by regulatory policies, proposals are encouraged to discuss how their proposed solutions can have a pathway towards realization in NextG systems.

Emerging verticals present diverse and challenging requirements for NextG networks due to their varied nature and the technological demands they place on the network. Next-generation networks must support billions of connected devices, from sensors in agriculture fields to smart appliances in cities.

This massive connectivity necessitates efficient and scalable architectures capable of handling dense device distributions without compromising performance. Healthcare applications require a high degree of availability and reliability that is challenging to achieve, evaluate, and validate on an end-to-end basis.

Various envisioned applications that rely on Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) for providing immersive experiences require higher speed and low delay/jitter. Supporting these applications may also require network slicing and customization to enable flexible provisioning of multiple types of service functions depending on the unique application needs.

The integration of computing and communication across the core to edge to cloud continuum, requires effective approaches for orchestration of various resources to be able to meet diverse application needs. Proposals choosing this research vector need to clearly specify the target emerging vertical and the challenges that it presents to NextG networks.

As the communication networks have evolved over the past few decades, the energy consumption of various generations of communications systems has also increased.

For example, a 5G base station consumes multiple times the energy of a 4G base station since it employs massive MIMO technology utilizing a large number of antennas to improve data rates and spectral efficiency, and to meet the need for overcoming higher propagation losses in new higher frequency bands of operation.

Network densification, by relying on small cells, especially in urban areas, has potentially increased the total energy footprint. Densification, on the other hand, with proper design, may be utilized to improve energy efficiency.

The introduction of AI, and the expected adoption of AI-native designs in NextG networks, should be done in a way that considers overall energy consumption, to avoid the risk of a significant increase in the energy footprint. For example, to support AI services in 5G and beyond, an increase in the deployment of edge computing data centers is expected, with the added energy consumption of these compute centers.

On the other hand, if efficient methods for localized and distributed processing of AI compute within the network are developed, they could help reduce/avoid energy consumption due to expensive data movement.

Energy efficiency in NextG networks is expected to play an important role in expanding broadband access to billions of people worldwide, e.g., by helping reduce networks operational costs, supporting base stations that are battery or renewal-energy powered, etc. This research vector focuses on innovative system level solutions to address this challenge to make a significant impact on managing the total energy consumption for NextG networks.

This research vector solicits innovations that may address the accessibility challenges for NextG networks. Network accessibility refers to challenges that need addressing to ensure that everyone, regardless of location, socioeconomic status, or physical ability, can connect and use networks effectively. These challenges can manifest in various ways, including technological, economic, geographical, and social barriers.

In rural and remote areas, deploying network infrastructure is challenging due to difficult terrain, or costly due to low population density. As a result, these areas often experience limited or no connectivity, creating a digital divide between urban and rural populations.

The challenges may also occur in developing countries or cities with low average economic status, where basic network infrastructure may be lacking or insufficient to support modern, high-speed networks like 4G/5G and beyond, leading to limited access or lower quality of service. In some regions the cost of accessing the Internet is prohibitive due to the economies of scale or other economic challenges.

While wireless has been reported as the most effective way to provide broadband connectivity to remote areas, rural or remote areas may not have the power infrastructure to support broadband networks. Proposals in this area are encouraged to offer creative, system-level approaches to improve the accessibility of NextG networks.

The proposals are encouraged to discuss how their technical innovative solution is positioned within the other wider perspectives that affect accessibility such as regulatory reform, policy support, and economic investment. A previous NSF program, NSF 21-581: Resilient & Intelligent NextG Systems (RINGS) , focused on resilience as the primary consideration.

Resilience in networks is a broad term that includes notions such as resistance to failures/attacks, graceful degradation, rapid adaptation, and rapid identification of root causes of disruption/attack. Resilience continues to be a major requirement for NextG networked systems that requires continued research and innovation, leveraging various emerging technology enablers.

Networks must be capable of detecting, analyzing, and mitigating evolving threats in real time, and thus developing algorithms that can better predict and respond to attacks is essential. Designing network systems that can autonomously detect faults, reroute traffic, and recover from failures autonomously remains a significant challenge.

Achieving resilience in large-scale, heterogeneous environments (like NextG networks) while maintaining performance and security requires innovations in algorithms and architectures. Achieving seamless cooperation among diverse network components and technologies is necessary for resilient systems.

Interaction between network resilience and other capabilities adds additional challenges, for example, ensuring resilient networks while managing energy consumption is a major challenge.

Network convergence involves the integration of multiple network types (e.g., fixed, mobile, wireless, terrestrial, and non-terrestrial) into a unified architecture that offers seamless connectivity, enhanced performance, and efficient resource management, while supporting diverse applications requirements.

Some of the innovations that have potential to help achieve this include software-defined programmable networking, and network function virtualization that decouples hardware from network functions, as well as network slicing over 5G and beyond cellular systems. However, there remain significant challenges to further advance the convergence of future networks.

Combining multiple network types requires integrating diverse protocols, topologies, technologies, and systems, and overcoming significant complexity challenges. Although convergent networks can increase resilience, they can also increase the attack/failure possibilities, thus requiring advanced resiliency measures across different network segments to enable graceful degradation and reliable network