To bolster its commitment to driving innovative spectrum research, SpectrumX, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Spectrum Innovation Center, routinely supports seed projects.
NSF SpectrumX seed projects are small-to-moderate projects that allow researchers to explore new topics without initial large-scale Center investment. These projects provide funding opportunities for existing and newly-affiliated members of the Center.
“The seed projects provide a mechanism for the center to expand its research portfolio, and consider promising new directions in spectrum science, management, and policy that may not be adequately covered within the current flagship projects,” said Michael Honig, former Director of SpectrumX’s Research Working Group (RWG).
In total, SpectrumX has funded three rounds of seed projects. Four projects were funded in the first round in November 2022, and three projects were funded in the second round in April 2024. In the most recent funding round, awarded in November 2024, six projects were selected.
“‘Spectrum research’ covers a very broad range of topics, ranging from increasing spectral efficiency via improved interference management techniques, including hardware, signal processing, and networking architectures, to design and analysis of coexistence protocols and associated access rights and policy,” said Honig. “The topics and problems to be addressed in this [round’s] collection of seed projects help to fill gaps in several of these areas.”
Details on each of the projects funded in November 2024 are listed below, including brief project summaries sourced from the proposals.
- FR3 Agile RF Front-Ends with Analog and Propagation Interference Suppression
Laila Marzall (University of Colorado Boulder) and Zoya Popovic (University of Colorado Boulder)
We address new RF front-end and beamforming architectures that include interference suppression in the analog and propagation domains for agile 7-8.4 GHz receivers… Our proposal includes designing new types of mixers, oscillators, absorptive switches, and active notch filters in GaN and GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and heterogeneous packaging of hybrid electronic RF circuits, reducing SWAP. - Operator Self-Identification for Spectrum Sharing
Dongning Guo (Northwestern University) and Igor Kadota (Northwestern University)
This proposal seeks to investigate self-identification mechanisms in radio transmissions and their implications for both technology and policy in dynamic spectrum sharing. These mechanisms will enable identification of operators across systems employing diverse numerologies, modulations, and coding schemes, provided that they overlap in spectrum utilization, all without the need for additional hardware. Furthermore, the design prioritizes minimal impact on spectral efficiency and computational overhead, ensuring practical and scalable implementation. - Byzantine Fault Tolerance in Spectrum Sharing Regimes
Prashant Krishnamurthy (University of Pittsburgh) and Amy Babay (University of Pittsburgh)
We expect future spectrum sharing regimes to be implemented in a distributed manner, to support efficient coordination among relevant entities. However, such distributed coordination of spectrum allocation is challenging… Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) techniques have been studied in distributed systems to enable consistent and correct behavior across multiple components in such systems… In this seed proposal, we seek to investigate strategies to handle Byzantine faults in future spectrum sharing regimes, which are different from traditional distributed systems. - SpectrumX Chatbot
Cong Shen (University of Virginia) and Nick Laneman (University of Notre Dame)
We propose the continued enhancement of the SpectrumX Chatbot, an innovative software platform designed to revolutionize how spectrum data is queried and analyzed. This advanced platform will now be equipped with multimodal capabilities, enabling it to process diverse forms of data such as textual content, measurements (tabular data), and images. - Multi-Spectral Transmitter Characterization
Mariya Zheleva (University at Albany)
[T]o efficiently detect and manage radio frequency interference, we need ways to measure and characterize a transmitter’s footprint across multiple spectra, including both its fundamental frequency and harmonics/spurs… In the context of this seed grant, we will begin our exploration of multi-spectral transmitter characterization, focusing on detecting and reconciling transmitter harmonics. - Enhancing Spectrum Research through an Open, Scalable SigCap Data Platform
Monisha Ghosh (University of Notre Dame) and Caleb Reinking (University of Notre Dame)
SigCap has seen increasing use as a powerful tool for collecting diverse mobile data… At Notre Dame, substantial captures already exist, providing valuable insights into spectrum environments. Many other captures, however, were not uploaded to Notre Dame and exist at originating institutions. This proposal outlines a threefold plan to transform these dispersed capture datasets into a publicly accessible, scalable platform which will drive novel understanding of the RF environment: platform development, data collection and integration, and new measurements and data analysis.
To apply for seed project funding, SpectrumX researchers must submit project proposals, which are then reviewed by the RWG, advisory board members, and other SpectrumX stakeholders. This group then makes recommendations to Center Leadership, which approves all final funding decisions. Proposals for multi-year projects may be submitted, but funding is allocated on an annual basis.
The criteria for proposal selection include the project’s relevance to the National Spectrum Strategy, alignment with SpectrumX’s implementation plan, intellectual merit, and potential policy impact.
Further details on developments and outcomes of ongoing projects will be shared on the SpectrumX website and social media platforms.
SpectrumX intends to open another round of seed project proposals in late 2025 to support additional innovative, small-scale projects that will expand the scope of the Center’s research efforts. Information on proposal requirements and deadlines is forthcoming.
About NSF SpectrumX
NSF SpectrumX is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of its Spectrum Innovation Initiative, under grant number AST 21-32700. NSF SpectrumX is the world’s largest academic hub where all radio spectrum stakeholders can innovate, collaborate, and contribute to maximizing social welfare of this precious resource.
To learn more about NSF SpectrumX, please visit spectrumx.org.
Contact:
Stephanie Loney, Research Communications Specialist
SpectrumX / Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame
sloney@nd.edu / 574.631.7804
spectrumx.org
