Samsung Electronics said Tuesday its California-based research and development unit has partnered with Princeton University to lead innovation in the sixth-generation telecommunications networking system.

Samsung Research America has become a founding member of the corporate affiliates program launched by Princeton University, dubbed the NextG Initiative Corporate Affiliates Program, to lead 6G research and development, the tech giant said.

The NextG program aims to bring up technological advancements and encourage cooperation between academia, industry leaders, and policymakers.

Alongside Samsung, other founding members include Ericsson, Intel, MediaTek, Nokia Bell Labs, Qualcomm Technologies and Vodafone.

Last year, Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science established the NextG initiative to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and increase the flow of innovation across a wide range of topics, including cloud and edge networks, intelligent sensing and network resilience.

“The best academic research to help realize the promise of future wireless networks is informed by close interactions between faculty and industry technology leaders,” said Andrea Goldsmith, dean of Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Under the partnership deal, Samsung Research and Princeton look to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world applications.

“We encourage Princeton’s researchers to continue innovation and develop disruptive technologies that could bring major breakthroughs in 6G,” Samsung Research America Senior Vice President Charlie Zhang said while vowing support for studies in next-generation telecommunications.

In May 2019, Samsung established the Advanced Communications Research Center under its research organization to spearhead the development of next-generation communication technology. The ACRC published the 6G white paper in July 2020 and the 6G spectrum white paper in May 2022.

Samsung Research has played a crucial role in the global standardization of 6G technology as it chairs both the 6G Framework Group of the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector and the Spectrum Group of the Global Mobile Suppliers Association.