Innovation Grants

AY2026 – Proposal Deadline: Thursday, October 1, 2026 (5 pm)

The School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) is pleased to announce the 2026 Call for NextG Innovation Proposals aimed at supporting high-risk/high-reward research at an early stage that may not be mature for competitive grants. This endeavor is made possible through the generosity of Princeton’s NextG Corporate Affiliates Members, to enable pioneering and cutting-edge research across diverse areas related to next-generation wireless communications, sensing, and networking.

Research areas of interest

We are interested in proposals broadly related to NextG systems, including but not limited to the following areas, either general or specific (no preference is given to either general or specific themes)

General NextG themes

  • Cloud, IoT, and Edge Networks
  • Communication and Networking Foundations
  • Intelligent Sensing and Computing
  • Integrated Electronic and Photonic Circuits and Systems
  • Security, Privacy, and Resilience
  • NextG Applications

Specific NextG Themes

  • AI-Native, Autonomous Networks
  • Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC)
  • Wireless as an Enabler for Physical AI
  • Spectrum Access, Sharing, and New-Band Hardware
  • Energy-Efficient and Sustainable NextG
  • Terrestrial / Non-Terrestrial Network Integration

Funding (Single PI and Collaborative)

An individual faculty member may request up to $35,000 for one year, while two or more faculty members may request up to $70,000 for one year. Expenditures may include undergraduate student stipend, graduate student stipend and tuition, postdoctoral researchers’ salary and benefits, and equipment. Faculty summer salary is not allowed.

Eligibility

  • Tenured and tenure-track faculty members in SEAS are invited to submit proposals, limited to one proposal per faculty member
  • Collaborative proposals are highly encouraged
  • We encourage collaborations encompassing all areas of NextG

Guidelines for submission

  • The proposal should be a brief, two-page proposal with the following sections: core innovation claim, project description, and a brief justification of compatibility of the submission with the proposal call.
  • NO confidential information should be included in the proposal.
  • Submit proposal along with the CV(s) of the PI(s) as a single PDF document to nextg@princeton.edu before the proposal deadline. An email confirming receipt will be sent by October 2nd
  • We anticipate funding multiple proposals, with the decisions being made by October 30th.

Reporting

Grant winners are expected to present the research results of this grant at the Princeton NextG Symposium in May 2027 and in the form of a written 1-page report 10 months after the project start date.

Submission/Deadline

The proposal submission deadline is Thursday, October 1st, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

For submissions or questions, please contact nextg@princeton.edu