OPTI-6G Project to Lead Optics and Photonics Innovations Workshop at EuCNC & 6G Summit 2025
The OPTI-6G project proudly reflected on the successful Optics and Photonics Innovations Workshop (Workshop 13), which took place at the EuCNC & 6G Summit 2025. The workshop, chaired by Professor John Cosmas of Brunel University London—Technical Manager of OPTI-6G—was held on Tuesday, June 3rd, from 14:00 to 17:30 in Room 1.B and was marked by high-quality presentations and strong engagement from participants.
This strategically important event, aligned with the objectives of the Horizon Europe Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU), brought together contributions from 10 leading SNS JU projects. It effectively highlighted the vital role of optics and photonics in shaping Europe’s next-generation digital infrastructure.
As the Technical Manager of OPTI-6G, Professor Cosmas played a key role in advancing the project’s vision of optical-cell-free, beam-steered networks with advanced localisation capabilities. His leadership in organising the session reinforced OPTI-6G’s pivotal role in EU 6G research and coordination efforts.
Workshop Focus and Highlights
The workshop addressed several timely and critical topics, including:
- Autonomous photonic network management
- Reconfigurable optical transport
- Optical IoT and printed electronics
- Photonics-based localisation and synchronisation
- Confluent edge networks and scalable photonics
It was delivered in two engaging sessions:
Session 1 – 14:00 – 15:30:
- SEASON: SElf-MAnaged Sustainable High-Capacity Optical Networks, Luis Velasco, UPC, ES
- FLEX-SCALE: Flexibly Scalable Energy Efficient Networking, Ioannis Tomkos, Univ. Patras, EL
- SUPERIOT: Truly Sustainable Printed Electronics-Based IoT Combining Optical and Radio Wireless Technologies, Tuomas Paso, Univ. Oulu, FI
- 6G-MUSICAL: Experimental verification of optical comb system and transceivers for 6G integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), Izzat Darwazeh, UCL, UK
- 6G-XCEL: AI for 6G Across Radio and Optical Networks, Dan Kilper, Trinity College Dublin, IE
Session 2 – 16:00 – 17:30:
- ECO-ENET: Efficient Confluent Edge Networks, Paolo Monti, Chalmers University of Technology, SWE
- 6G-EWOC: Optical Wireless in Support of a Computing-Communication Continuum for Connected Mobility, Bernhard Schrenk, Austrian Institute of Technology, AT
- PROTEUS-6G: Programmable Reconfigurable Optical Transport For Efficiently Offering Unconstrained Services In 6G, Ioannis Tomkos, Univ. Patras, EL
- OPTI-6G: Towards Optical 6G Cell Free Beamsteered Networks with Localisation, John Cosmas, Brunel University London, UK
- TERA6G: Photonics-enabled integrated THz transceivers with beamforming capabilities for 6G wireless networks, Eftasthios Andrianopoulos
The workshop successfully fostered collaboration, encouraged knowledge exchange, and sparked ideas for future partnerships in photonics for 6G. It significantly contributed to the shared European ambition of building sustainable, high-performance network infrastructure by 2030.
About OPTI-6G
OPTI-6G is a flagship Horizon Europe SNS JU project dedicated to developing high-efficiency, beam-steered, and localised 6G optical networks. The project integrates cutting-edge photonics with next-generation communication technologies, paving the way for sustainable and ultra-capable future networks.
For more information about OPTI-6G and its contribution to 6G photonic innovation, visit https://opti-6g.sns-ju.eu/use-cases-results/
