Northeastern University and New York University are among the first recipients of the $1.5 billion Wireless Innovation Fund, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Tuesday.
In this first round of funding, Northeastern won just under $2 million to conduct energy efficiency tests for open radio access networks, better known as Open RAN. New York University was awarded $2 million to develop test and evaluation processes for adaptive spectrum sharing, and Virginia technology company DeepSig was awarded $1.5 million to develop Open RAN performance test methods.
The Wireless Innovation Innovation Fund aims to accelerate research into next-generation wireless systems and networks, with multiple rounds of funding over the next decade. It is the first grant program funded by the CHIPS and Science Act to begin awarding, said David Madigan, professor and senior vice president for academic affairs at Northeastern University, during a fact on Tuesday. The CHIPS and Science Act, a $280 billion law signed last year by President Joe Biden, aims to boost research and manufacturing of semiconductors and other technologies in the United States.
“This first round of Wireless Innovation Fund awards will accelerate the transition to more open and resilient 5G and 6G networks,” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said in a press release. “These grants will fund important research and testing to catalyze greater adoption of open wireless equipment. This in turn will promote the resilience, innovation and efficiency in mobile networks so important to our economy.”
