Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems
The CCSS Program funds innovative research in circuits, systems, and sensing for next-gen cyber-physical systems, promoting advancements in communication, sensing technologies, and new applications in various fields.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: Proposals accepted anytime (no fixed deadline)
Funding Amounts: No specified ceiling; typical NSF awards range from 1–3 years and vary by project scope
Summary: Funds innovative research in circuits, systems, and sensing to advance next-generation communications, sensing, and cyber-physical systems.
Key Information: No cost sharing required; proposals must follow the current NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).
Description
The Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS) program supports fundamental and applied research in circuit and system hardware, signal processing, and system/network architectures for communications and sensing. The program aims to enable next-generation cyber-physical systems (CPS) that integrate computation, communication, and sensing with physical domains.
CCSS invests in a broad range of technologies, including micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), physical, chemical, and biological sensing systems, neurotechnologies, and advanced communication and sensing circuits. The overarching goal is to create innovative, complex, and hybrid systems—spanning nano- to macro-scale—for applications in healthcare, environmental monitoring, communications, disaster mitigation, homeland security, intelligent transportation, manufacturing, energy, and smart infrastructure.
The program encourages proposals leveraging emerging technologies and applications, such as:
- High-speed communications (terabits per second and beyond)
- Sensing and imaging from microwave to terahertz frequencies
- Personalized health monitoring and assistance
- Secured wireless connectivity and sensing for the Internet of Things (IoT)
- Dynamic, data-enabled autonomous systems using real-time sensing and machine learning
Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
- RF circuits and antennas for communications and sensing
- Trusted microelectronic circuits
- Wireless energy transfer and RF energy harvesting
- Full-duplex, massive MIMO, mm-Wave, and THz communications
- Integrated sensing, communication, and computational systems
- Quantum communication systems
- Ultra-low power wearable and implantable sensing systems
- Neuroengineering and brain-inspired designs
For specific topics, applicants are encouraged to contact the relevant CCSS Program Directors.
