Juan E. Figueroa, Ph.D. Andrew Clegg , Ph.D. Program Directors

1. NSF WebinarEnhancing Access to Radio Spectrum (EARS)Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR)(Solicitation: NSF 11-561) Juan E. Figueroa, Ph.D. Andrew Clegg, Ph.D. Program Directors Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP)Division Astronomical Sciences (AST) National Science Foundation The presentation will be available following the WEBINAR http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=iip

2. Solicitation: NSF 12-511 If you are unable to call in, please send your questions via email to both: • IIP: Juan E. Figueroa jfiguero@nsf.gov • AST: Andrew Clegg aclegg@nsf.gov Questions The presentation will be available following the WEBINAR http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=iip Industrial Innovation & Partnerships

3. The Use of the Radio Spectrum is Integrated into the Fabric of Our Society • Demand for spectrum access, and growth in that demand, are increasing exponentially • Cellular data traffic is up 6000% since the introduction of smart phones • Growth in wireless cellular backhaul is growing accordingly • Additional high-growth demand for spectrum exist across multiple sectors: Aviation, Homeland Security, Public Safety, National Defense – all increasingly data-driven

4. Value of the Radio Spectrum • FCC auctions for slices of bandwidth have raised $78 billion in net bids since 1994 • Only a small fraction of the radio spectrum (about 4%) has been auctioned • 2009 domestic wireless revenue was $151.2 billion, larger than the gross domestic product of Kuwait • 1992 – 2007 growth rate of U.S. wireless industry exceeded 16% per year, compared to 3% for the general economy • The domestic wireless sector presently exceeds the agriculture industry in economic size, and is predicted to exceed the auto industry within five years • Some industry experts estimate that the indirect impact of wireless is ~10% of U.S. economy, or about $1.4 trillion annually

5. Wireless as a National Priority

6. The National Broadband Plan • Congressional mandate to FCC to develop a plan to ensure every American has access to broadband capability • Requirement under Stimulus Act • Recognizes importance of broadband to economic recovery and American competitiveness • Released by FCC in March 2010 • http://www.broadband.gov

7. NSF in the National Broadband Plan • Recommendation 5.14: • The FCC should initiate proceedings to enhance research and development that will advance the science of spectrum access. A robust research and development pipeline is essential to ensuring that spectrum access technologies continue to evolve and improve. As described in Chapter 7, the FCC should start a rule-making proceeding to establish more flexible experimental licensing rules. Additionally, the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the FCC and NTIA, should fund wireless research and development that will advance the science of spectrum access. • Additional recommendations for NSF involvement innetworking, testbeds, accessibility, and technologytransfer (see next slide for details)

8. National Broadband Plan Goals 100 million homes should have 100 Mbps down/50 Mbps up U.S. should have the fastest and most extensive wireless networks Every American should have affordable access to robust broadband service 1 Gbps to schools, hospitals, government buildings Nationwide, wireless, interoperable broadband public safety network. Every American should be able to use broadband to track and manage their real-time energy consumption.

9. “Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution” • Presidential Memorandum released June 2010 • Directs NTIA, working with FCC, to make available 500 MHz of broadband spectrum within 10 years • Directs NTIA, working with NSF and others, to create and implement a plan to facilitate research & experimentation on innovative spectrum-sharing technologies

10. NSF in the Presidential Memorandum • Calls on NSF to work with the Commerce Department • “to create and implement a plan to facilitate research, development, experimentation, and testing by researchers to explore innovative spectrum-sharing technologies” • NSF and NTIA co-chair a senior steering group of the Networking and Information Technology R&D (NITRD) program to coordinate federal spectrum-related R&D activities • EARS is a major component of this plan

11. Radio Spectrum & National Priorities • Common themes in NBP, PM, Wi3, and pending legislation: • Get more people connected to broadband • Provide an interoperable nationwide public safety network • Fund spectrum-related R&D • Radio spectrum plays a critical role in the nation’s broadband goals and policies • Broadband over the airwaves is a key driver for economic recovery and regaining America’s technological leadership • R&D that improves the way we use spectrum for all services can free up additional spectrum and have significant positive impact on the nation

12. The EARS Program

13. Enhancing Access to the Radio Spectrum (EARS) • A proposed new NSF initiative to invest in research that can improve the efficiency by which radio spectrum is used, or improve access to the radio spectrum for presently under-represented populations • EARS will emphasize interdisciplinary research, recognizing the interplay among technology, public policy, economics, and social sciences in modern spectrum management • Perhaps the biggest innovation is not creating the technology of the future, but how we get there from where we are today

14. EARS Workshop • Held in August 2010 • 40 invited experts across science, engineering, networking, economics, and commercial/government/military sectors • Presentations by Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell-Baker, and acting NSF Director, Dr. Cora Marrett • Additional participants and observers included representatives of the White House (OSTP and NEC), Congress, and the World Bank • Workshop charge • Identify interdisciplinary research opportunities that will • Lead to future enhancements in the efficiency by which the radio spectrum is used • Enhance the ability of all Americans to access broadband wireless services and realize other benefits derived from efficient spectrum use • Results from three days of interdisciplinary breakout sessions • List of research priorities – ~150 cross-cutting topics to help address present and future spectrum challenges and meet national goals • Workshop report available on NSF Web site (EARS program page, tinyurl.com/nsfears)

15. EARS Investment Interests • Several broad areas of investment interest include (but are not limited to): • New interdisciplinary technology solutions that enable spectrum efficiency and enhanced spectrum access, including hardware and materials innovations, new spectrum access methods and protocols, spectrum security, and interference mitigation. • Innovative technologies that expand the use of the radio spectrum including millimeter-wave and THz communication systems and free-space optical communication networks. • Interdisciplinary research on spectrum allocation and assignment including market- and nonmarket-based methods for spectrum access and usage, economics of radio spectrum access including auctions and secondary markets. • Green spectrum technologies that enable energy efficient communications and radio systems with low environmental impact in fabrication and disposal. • Research on the social, behavioral and economic impact of wireless, including new (and potentially disruptive) technologies; physical and social networks; the adoption and use of wireless and related technologies; implications for access to educational, health and other resources; the impact of wireless and continuous monitoring on social and economic interactions of individuals, groups and organizations; the creation and impact of public policies and regulations around wireless allocation and use. • Transitional support for legacy systems and policies

16. Growth Re$ourcesAvailable Private Sector Public Sector Academic Research Market Penetration Innovation/ Translational Research Product Dev Basic Research Initial Commercialization Mature Technology Maturity Level Private Sector Handoff • NSF – Discovery FOR Innovation • IIP – Discovery TO Innovation NSF SBIR/STTR

17. INDUSTRIAL INNOVATION PARTNERSHIPS

18. Specific STTR Program Features • Funds set-aside for STTR • STTR = 0.3% of NSF R&D extramural budget • Grantee must be defined as a small business: • Set up as a for profit organization with 500 or fewer employees • At least 51% owned by US individuals • Special STTR Requirements • Cooperation research agreement between small business and university/non-profit research institution in place to protect intellectual property • A minimum of 40% of budget resides with the small business; a minimum of 30% of the budget goes to the university/non-profit research institution; the remaining 30% can be distributed as appropriate for the project

19. Doing Business with NSF • NSF is not the Final Customer • NSF is not buying your product/process or software or your intellectual property • NSF wants to see you successfully commercializeyour high-tech research • You need investment $ beyond NSF SBIR

20. Subtopics for this solicitation are listed • Spectral efficiency • Reconfigurable wireless platforms • Security of wireless systems • Legacy: Backwards and forwards interoperability and compatibility • Special-purpose wireless systems • Wireless system tests, measurements, and validation • Economic models for spectrum resource sharing

21. SBIR/STTR Home Page Juan E. Figueroa jfiguero@nsf.gov Andrew Clegg aclegg@nsf.gov http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/