PAWR Project Office: Announces request for proposals for Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) Program

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Caitlin Scott
Full Court Press Communications
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Washington, DC – April 20, 2017 — The PAWR Project Office (PPO), led by US Ignite, Inc., and Northeastern University, and with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a consortium of 25 leading wireless companies and trade associations, has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to design, deploy and operate a set of platforms for advanced wireless research across the United States. This RFP for the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program aims to support the first one to two research platforms by spring 2018, providing awards of about $20 million per research platform. Over the next seven years, the PAWR program will invest $100 million in public and private funds, including in-kind contributions from industry partners, in support of up to four research platforms.

The PAWR program will enable exploration of robust new wireless devices, communication techniques, networks, systems, and services that will revolutionize the nation’s wireless ecosystem. Research conducted on the PAWR platforms will enhance broadband connectivity, leverage the emerging Internet of Things (IoT), and sustain US leadership and economic competitiveness with respect to the wireless industry for years to come. Interested teams should submit an expression of intent to submit by May 8, 2017. Preliminary proposals are due June 1, 2017, and the deadline for final proposals is July 31, 2017. Finalists will be announced no later than October 2017.

“It is an exciting time for the PAWR Project Office,” said Bryan Mikesh, Project Director of the PAWR Project Office. “We look forward to the technological advancements that will result from this program, and we eagerly await proposals from the country’s brightest and most inventive minds.”

The success of the PAWR program ultimately rests on collaboration among three important stakeholders within the information technology innovation ecosystem: university researchers, private sector companies, and local communities. Participating university researchers will benefit by gaining access to open, at-scale research platforms; receiving industry input earlier in the research process; and speeding up the rate of transfer of disruptive ideas from university research to end users. Participating companies will benefit by helping to sustain US industry leadership and economic competitiveness in wireless communications for the next decade and beyond; shaping the design of the research platforms; and securing cutting-edge research returns well in excess of initial investment. Participating local communities will benefit by building core wireless capabilities through creative university partnerships; attracting government and corporate research funding and local wireless jobs; and utilizing advanced wireless capabilities to enhance community services and economic development.

“Fostering innovation in wireless networking and in the Internet of Things is chief among the goals of the PAWR program,” said Tommaso Melodia, Research Director for the PAWR Project Office and Associate Professor at Northeastern University. “We are excited about the research platforms that will be selected through the RFP process. This program has the potential to transform the US wireless ecosystem.”

Academic institutions, nonprofits and/or local governments interested in submitting a proposal should visit www.advancedwireless.org for additional information and deadlines.

About PAWR Project Office

The Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program is jointly supported by the National Science Foundation and a wireless Industry Consortium to create community-scale research platforms to accelerate fundamental research on wireless communication and networking technologies. The PAWR Project Office (PPO) manages this $100 million public-private partnership and will oversee these eventual research platforms. The PPO is run by US Ignite, Inc., and Northeastern University. The PPO will collaborate closely with NSF, the wireless research community, local communities, and industry, in part through the Industry Consortium, in the design, development, deployment, and initial operations of the research platforms.

US Ignite, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that spurs the creation of next-generation applications and services that leverage advanced networking technologies that build the foundation for smart communities.

Northeastern University is a global, experiential research university. Northeastern is the recognized leader in experiential learning, powered by the world’s most innovative cooperative-education program.