NSF to Fund Up to $10 Million of US Ignite Gigabit R&D

The National Science Foundation aims to award as much as $10 million in grant funding toward US Ignite gigabit R&D. Funded projects will carry out fundamental research to advance gigabit network protocols and infrastructure and/or develop new applications and prototypes that expand the use of high-speed network infrastructure. The gigabit R&D project solicitation is part and parcel of US Ignite, a non-profit public-private partnership program launched by NSF and the White House Office of Science Technology Policy in June 2012 to spur US leadership in development and deployment of next-generation gigabit networks and applications. Bridging the ¨Digital Divide¨ while at the same time enhancing US economic competitiveness are the motivations that guide and inform US Ignite. Program managers are aiming to deliver 60 next-gen gigabit broadband applications and establish 200 community test beds by 2017.

The latest NSF-US Ignite solicitation seeks to make up to $10 million in capital available to fund projects focusing on one of two areas:
Focus Area 1 encourages the development of application ideas and prototypes addressing national priority areas that explore new uses for high speed networks and give rise to Smart and Connected Communities. Focus Area 1 builds on activities explored by previous US Ignite investments.
Focus Area 2 funds fundamental research advances in networking technology and protocols that further the capabilities and understanding of gigabit networking infrastructure to meet current and future application demands. Focus Area 2 projects should seek to propose fundamental advances in networking infrastructure that, if successful, would better enable current or future gigabit to multi-gigabit applications.