University Projects Receive First Wireless Innovation Fund Grants

Projects at Northeastern University, New York University and DeepSig Inc. will receive the first round of awards under the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund amounting to $5.48 million.

The fund from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration totals $1.5 billion to support developers of open-architecture approaches to communications networks.

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 finances the fund as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda.

The funding’s first round will support research and development and testing on energy efficiency evaluation, measuring interoperable equipment performance and testing spectrum-sharing methods, NTIA said.

The agency added that the open and interoperable wireless equipment, which the fund promotes development, will help drive competition, lower costs for consumers and network operators and strengthen global supply chain resiliency.

According to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, investments in next-generation wireless innovation will help ensure that the American industry maintains leadership in wireless technology.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson noted that the first grants will accelerate the transition to more open and resilient 5G and 6G wireless networks.