Opportunity Information: Apply for 21 539
The Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies (SWIFT) opportunity is a National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant program that supports new ideas for improving how radio spectrum is used and shared. The program is jointly led across multiple NSF directorates, including Engineering (ENG), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), and Geosciences (GEO), reflecting that spectrum challenges are not just a communications problem but also a physics, sensing, computing, and Earth-science issue. The core theme is moving beyond incremental improvements and aiming for breakthroughs that can reshape wireless systems and spectrum management in ways that create broad societal benefit.
A central emphasis of SWIFT is “coexistence,” meaning two or more systems can operate in the same frequency band at the same time and/or in the same place without causing harmful interference to each other. SWIFT highlights that coexistence becomes especially challenging when one of the users is passive, such as radio astronomy or certain Earth-observation sensing services, because passive users do not transmit radio frequency (RF) energy and therefore cannot easily coordinate or “negotiate” access the way active transmitters can. The program is explicitly interested in spectrum-sharing approaches that protect these passive services, which historically have received less research attention than purely active-to-active sharing. Example coexistence scenarios include radio astronomy operating alongside wireless broadband, or weather radar sharing spectrum with Wi-Fi-like technologies.
The program seeks collaborative, team-based research that crosses traditional discipline boundaries, pairing advances in wireless hardware with advances in algorithms, protocols, and system design. On the technology side, this can include innovations in RF front ends, antennas, sensing, signal processing, reconfigurable or adaptive radios, and measurement/characterization techniques. On the computing and networking side, it can include new spectrum access protocols, interference mitigation methods, dynamic spectrum management, and approaches that use tools like artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly to sense, predict, and adapt to spectrum conditions. The intent is not just “better spectral efficiency” in a narrow sense, but genuinely improved spectrum utilization and more reliable coexistence, potentially enabling new capabilities or significant upgrades to existing wireless infrastructure.
From an administrative standpoint, this is an NSF discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 21-539) in the science and technology R and D category, associated with CFDA numbers 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, and 47.070. The expected number of awards was listed as 16, and the original closing date was March 5, 2021 (with a creation date of December 4, 2020). The eligible applicant category is noted as “Others,” with additional eligibility details referenced in the full solicitation text. The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the provided record, which typically indicates that the ceiling is not specified in that summary field rather than implying a zero-dollar cap.
SWIFT also situates itself among related spectrum concepts and services that often appear in coexistence work, such as the Radio Astronomy Service (RAS), Earth Exploration-Satellite Service (EESS), radio frequency interference (RFI), dynamic sharing concepts like National Radio Dynamic Zones (NRDZ), and research testbeds such as the Platform on Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR). Overall, the opportunity is geared toward teams proposing ambitious, interdisciplinary research that can make spectrum sharing more practical, more protective of sensitive passive uses, and more beneficial to both current and future wireless ecosystems.Apply for 21 539
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Spectrum and Wireless Innovation enabled by Future Technologies" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 04, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 05, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 16 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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