WNL Members Win RSF Grant on Holographic MIMO
In November 2024, the results of the call for proposals for bilateral Joint Research Projects, held by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), were published. A total of 52 projects were funded, including the project “Development of H-MIMO for future wireless communications” by the Wireless Networks Lab, led by Prof. Evgeny Khorov. The research will be carried out jointly with the research team of Professor Linghe Kong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The project is dedicated to holographic MIMO systems (H-MIMO) and is aimed to increase the data transfer rate and expand the coverage area of new-generation wireless networks using such systems. H-MIMO incorporate metasurfaces (H-MIMO surfaces) that consist of many configurable cells to reflect signal. The distance between the cells is less than half the wavelength, which, unlike conventional multi-antenna systems, allows the formation of “superdirectional” beams. However, it is necessary to take into account the mutual influence of the cells and the limited number of control radio modules. Therefore, the project will develop H-MIMO architectures, signal processing and generation methods, as well as an open-source simulation platform.
We have put a lot of effort into preparing the application for this grant, and it’s great that it has paid off. This is a big leap forward for our team and an opportunity to stand at the origins of H-MIMO development not only in Russia, but worldwide!
the Core team member Alexey Kureev comments.
The results of the project are expected to accelerate the emergence of affordable and energy-efficient equipment for the implementation of H-MIMO in 6G technologies, satellite communications, and other telecommunications systems. The project will become the basis for international publications, patents, and participation in the standardization of modern telecommunications technologies.
The Russian Science Foundation (RSF) supports scientific and technical programs and projects in the field of fundamental research. It aims to obtain advanced scientific knowledge about the basic structure, functioning and development of humans, society and the environment. The foundation was created on the initiative of the President of Russia in 2013, and since then it has supported more than 80 thousand researchers.
Wireless Networks Lab is a ‘Megagrant’ lab established in 2017 around the project on Cloudified Wireless Networks for 5G and beyond, led by Prof. Ian Akyildiz. Currently the WNL members, led by Evgeny Khorov, regularly present their results at leading scientific conferences, cooperate with Russian and international companies, and contribute to the standardization of wireless networks.