Research Coordination Tasks

The objective of developing a highly competitive SII proposal will be achieved by conducting a set of targeted planning activities that will lead to the development of a strong team with improved collaboration capabilities along with a fully developed research, outreach, and workforce development plan with preliminary results where possible. Specific research coordination tasks to be carried out during the planning process are:

T1. Build research collaboration across the team of SII full proposal PIs by refinement of the common high-level vision, identifying clusters of research activity across the group and exchanging technical information.

T2. Structure the planning project team into a well-organized team with plenary and sub working groups on various aspects of the center’s research agenda.

T3: Develop an updated research agenda/plan for the SII full proposal, both in terms of selection of key research thrust and development of detailed 5-year research plans for each selected topic.

T4. Conduct pilot projects aimed at developing prior results and proof-of-concept for some of the key research thrusts being considered for the SII project. Specific pilot projects proposed for the planning grant are (1) THz communications: (2) Co-existence with passive radio astronomy users; and (3) Dynamic spectrum sharing in the NYC/COSMOS FCC Innovation Zone.

Specific community engagement tasks to be carried out during the planning process are:

T5. Host a major research workshop (with ~75 attendees, in late Fall 2020) on spectrum aimed broadly at the US research community with the objective of getting feedback and input on the center’s research agenda, while also identifying potential participants and partners.

T6. Hold expert meetings on selected topics in the research agenda that need further development both in terms of research scope/goals and participants/collaborators. These include meetings on THz and spectrum frontiers, economics and policy, security, and passive spectrum uses.

Specific tasks related to developing partnerships and infrastructure for the SII center are:

T7. Conduct outreach activities across government industry, and major end-users of spectrum. The team also plans to contact a range of potential international partners in U.K., Europe, Japan and others to develop a strong and balanced plan for global research collaboration on spectrum innovation.

T8. Develop plans for experimental research infrastructure required to support the research agenda of the SII center. The plan will build upon existing capabilities at the proposing institutions including the COSMOS PAWR platform (designated as FCC Innovation Zone) in NYC, THz measurement capabilities, passive radio astronomy, IR/optical testbeds, and wireless measurement infrastructure.

Specific tasks related to education and training are:

T9. Develop an education and training plan for the SII center, drawing on education professionals. This includes discussion of concepts for wireless/spectrum curricula at various levels, including K-12, undergraduate, graduate, professional, and community college, along with preliminary development of curriculum outlines.