CROWN (Cognitive Radio Oriented Wireless Networks) is funded under FET-Open scheme within the Seventh Farmework Programme, consisting of six partners co-ordinated by Queen's University of Belfast, working towards the realistic implementation of Cognitive Radios for better, more spectrally and financially efficient wireless communications. This interdisciplinary project will take a significant step forward towards the new communication paradigms and experimental facilities for future mobile networks. Cognitive Radio Oriented Wireless Networks (CROWN) is a three year (May 2009 to April 2012) pan European Consortium project.

The main purpose of the CROWN project is to understand the technical issues of Cognitive Radios, through a proof of concept demonstrator. CROWN is a Framework Program 7 (FP7) Future Enabling Technologies (FET) programme. Such programmes are classified as High Technical Risk but with High Potential reward.

The Consortium partners are:

Queens University Belfast (QUB) (UK, Co-ordinator)

Athens Information Technology (AIT) (Greece, Technical Lead)

EURECOM (EUR) – Graduate University (France)

Darmstadt University of Technology (TUD) (Germany)

Infineon  (IFX) (France)

QinetiQ (QQ) (UK)

Office of Communications (Ofcom) (UK – advisor – Dr William Web)

Institute for Inforcomm Research (I2R) (Singapore – advisor – Dr Ying-Chang Liang)