This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — The University of Colorado has officially joined SpectrumX, an initiative aimed at better understanding and utilizing a resource whose demand grows exponentially, the radio frequency spectrum. 

As a result of taking part in this program, a $25 million National Science Foundation grant will help fund the development of a Spectrum Innovation Center on the Boulder Campus.  

“Radio spectrum is a precious resource which is critical for U.S. national competitiveness,” said Scott Palo, professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at CU Boulder and the man who will be running the soon to be installed NSF center. 

Mobile broadband, GPS, Ring Doorbells, 5G networks, and satellite and defense applications are some of the things that bog down the radio frequency spectrum. An extreme shift in its management and how research and development is conducted in accordance with it is the focus of the SpectrumX initiative. 

Credit: SpectrumX – Map of Organizations involved in SpectrumX Initiative

Forty-seven experts from 29 organizations, including the University of Notre Dame, M.I.T., the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and New York University will all help tackle the growing problem of an over-encumbered radio frequency spectrum.  

“We’re delighted to be a leading partner in the first NSF Spectrum Innovation Center,” said Terri Fiez, vice chancellor for Research and Innovation at CU Boulder. 

Professor Palo’s team is “thrilled” to be joining the other Colorado-based partners in SpectrumX, which includes the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. 

The full statement from the University of Notre Dame on the initiative can be read here.