Who funds wireless networking research?

We count 287 funded wireless networking projects, active between 2021 and 2032, from 6 funders. The most came from EU · MSCA (89 projects), EU · Digital, Industry and Space (67 projects) and EU · ERC (35 projects). The median award is $1.9M, across the 281 of 287 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

287

Funders

6

Median award

$1.9M

Open calls now

4

Top funders of wireless networking research

Projects whose title or summary mentions wireless networking. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open wireless networking funding calls

4 open calls mention wireless networking today.

• Wireless Devices and Components
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Wireless Systems
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Other Wireless Technologies
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Wireless Technologies
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·

Funded wireless networking projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• CAREER: Designing Domain Knowledge-Guided Learning Architectures towards Wireless Network Security: Enabling Effective and Efficient Attacks and Countermeasures
  NSF · CISE · $500,000 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Towards Semantic-Centric Wireless Foundations for Swarm AI
  NSF · ENG · $551,585 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Internet of Foundation Models (IoFM): Expanding the Frontiers of Distributed Learning in Heterogeneous Networks
  NSF · ENG · $550,000 · ends 2031
• NeTS: Exploring the Limits of Agentic AI in PhD-level Networked Systems Design
  NSF · CISE · $850,000 · ends 2030
• CIF: Unified SWIPT: Emerging Models and Design Strategies
  NSF · CISE · $950,000 · ends 2030
• Collaborative Research: CCSS: Semantic-Aware Collaborative Perception and Networking for Autonomous Urban Mobility
  NSF · ENG · $240,000 · ends 2030
• VINES: Track 2: OMNISCIENT: Enabling BVLOS for On-demand Mission Critical Aerial Networks through Self-adapting NextG IAB Mesh
  NSF · TIP · $4,799,999 · ends 2029
• A data-driven context-adaptive channel sounding method for large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems to boost next-generation Wi-Fi network efficiency
  EU · MSCA · ends 2029
• Collaborative Research: VINES: Track 2: SCOPE-XR: Seeing the Channel: Optimizing Perception-aware Environments for XR
  NSF · TIP · $2,167,500 · ends 2029
• Collaborative Research: VINES: Track 2: AgSlicing: Predictable RAN and Spectrum Slicing for Precision Agriculture
  NSF · TIP · $4,651,625 · ends 2029

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “wireless or 5g or 6g”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.