The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced awards for the "Resilient and Intelligent NextG Systems" (RINGS) program on April 18. The RINGS program officially kicks off today. The Department of Defense is pleased to be a part of this unique, collaborative effort to expand public-private partnerships.
The RINGS program is NSF's single most significant effort to date to engage government, academic, and industry partners in a joint research program. This program seeks to accelerate research, drive innovation, and increase the competitiveness of the U.S. in NextG networking and computing technologies. The Innovate Beyond 5G (IB5G) program in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering contributed $6 million towards the total of over $37 million awarded to 41 research projects.
The DoD views this partnership as integral to the larger mission of inviting the academic/non-profit research community to the table. By contributing novel solution concepts that address critical operational priorities and communications challenges, these communities will make their mark on the next generation of network technologies supporting our warfighters today and into the future. Private sector partners in this effort include Apple, Ericsson, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Nokia, Qualcomm, and VMware.
"The Department of Defense has a vital interest in promoting the continuous adoption and adaptation of advanced wireless technologies as it seeks to integrate these within the evolution of MIL Network concepts," said Dr. Sumit Roy, Program Director for IB5G. "The 5G-to-NextG initiative is particularly pleased to support efforts such as RINGS that promote public and private sector collaboration in continuing research, development, and prototyping that emphasize secure and resilient network operational concepts and their evaluation."
RINGS projects will explore multiple aspects of wireless network systems relevant to the DoD, including enhanced software/hardware features for secure operations for client devices, edge network elements, emergent network architectures impacting RAN, and the network core underpinning future agile B5G MIL networks.
About USD(R&E)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military's technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre.
