WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Department of Defense announced today the selection of a joint team of American and Finnish academic researchers to explore groundbreaking advances in future communication systems through the Bilateral Academic Research Initiative (BARI). The project, titled “Self-Programmable Metasurface Networks for Wireless Communications and IoT,” will be led by Professor Andrea Alu of the City University of New York and Professor Sergei Tretyakov of Aalto University in Finland.
The international team includes researchers from Northeastern University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Helsinki. Over the next four years, the U.S. research team will receive up to $4 million from the Basic Research Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), while the Finnish team will receive up to €3 million (approximately $3.3 million) from the Research Council of Finland.
Dr. Bindu Nair, director of basic research at OUSD(R&E), highlighted the significance of the collaboration, stating, “The BARI program showcases the remarkable potential of international collaboration. By combining the diverse perspectives and expertise of leading scientists from the U.S. and Finland, this initiative will drive important advancements in scientific fields of mutual interest to both nations.”
Professor Paula Eerola, president of the Research Council of Finland, also expressed enthusiasm for the project, noting that it represents a successful outcome of the first bilateral joint call with the U.S. Department of Defense. The collaborative research effort aims to achieve rapid advances in fundamental science by merging unique expertise from both countries.
The project will focus on exploring materials and devices, network science and embedded intelligence, and human interactions, potentially leading to revolutionary developments in wireless communication and the Internet of Things (IoT).–News Desk