By the year 2020, mobile and wireless communications will play a central role in all aspects of European citizens’ lives. As more devices “go wireless” and human wireless networks proliferate at unprecedented speed more bandwidth and better use of the RF spectrum will be required to avoid future “wireless traffic jams”. In this context the realisation of cognitive radio (CR) is essential to meet the requirements of future wireless communication infrastructures. Software-defined radio (SDR) should be a step on the path towards CR. Par4CR brings together a consortium of seven major European players to perform a joint research programme and exchange knowledge on technologies crucial for the development of software-defined radio and cognitive radio. Based on the joint research programme the partners will implement an intensive exchange programme. In the context of Par4CR 29 researchers will spend up to 16 months working within a research team of another partner, involving in total 121 person months. Targeted recruitment of six experienced researchers will complement the knowledge available within the consortium, involving 120 person months. Furthermore during Par4CR the consortium will organise 4 two day workshops, actively involving external researchers in the progress of the research programme. By the end of Par4CR an international conference will be organised to actively disseminate lessons learned. The overall goal of the research programme of Par4CR is to develop a new architecture for software-defined radio as a step towards cognitive radio based on wideband operation of transmitter and receiver. It is anticipated the research programme will result in the following main innovations: - cost reduction of SDR to a level below multi-mode multi-band transceivers; - performance increase of SDR to a level comparable to single-mode transceivers; - a clear evolutionary roadmap from SDR to CR.