The 6G-REFERENCE consortium gathered in Birmingham (United Kingdom) on the 21 and 22 October 2025 for a face-to-face meeting organised by Yi Wang, Professor of Microwave Engineering at the University of Birmingham, one of our partners.
The event brought together leading researchers and engineers from across Europe to align on the project’s integrated demonstrations and the next steps towards 6G innovation.
The main objective of the meeting was to discuss in person the project roadmap, in particular, concerning the advances on the three key demonstration cases of 6G-REFERENCE that showcase its technological breakthroughs:
- Demo Case #1 – Immersive Communications, led by CEA-Leti.
- Demo Case #2 – Integrated Sensing and Localisation, led by ETH Zürich and IMEC.
- Demo Case #3 – Time-Sensitive Networks Applications, led by the University of Twente.
This is the fourth time the 6G-REFERENCE consortium met in person to align tasks and proceed to the integration of the different innovations that will support the deployment of 6G hardware enablers for cell free coherent communications and sensing. We kicked off the project in Castelldefels (Spain), to then meet in Zürich (Switzerland) and Enschede (The Netherlands).
These face-to-face discussions are very productive and useful to be able to develop through common efforts sustainable solutions that can cope with the ever-increasing traffic demands and population densification in urban areas.
The 6G-REFERENCE Joint Demos
On the first day of the meeting (21 October), the focus was on joint demo contributions and planning, featuring presentations, live discussions, and technical updates on synchronisation (SYNC), communication (COM), and Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) systems.
Sessions explored key performance indicators (KPIs), hardware and software alternatives, and open research issues. Partners also presented demonstrations on topics such as full-duplex communication, reconfigurable transceivers, and high-resolution frequency control.
In the afternoon, parallel group sessions enabled in-depth brainstorming on solutions for open technical challenges. In the evening, a networking dinner at the Edgbaston Park Hotel closed the day.
The 6G-REFERENCE Strategic Planning for the Final Phase on Dissemination, Standardization and Exploitation
The second day (22 October) was dedicated to planning and coordination, focusing on dissemination, impact, and exploitation strategies. Partners discussed scientific papers, standardisation contributions, and technology readiness level (TRL) updates. The sessions also reviewed the upcoming deliverables and final reports, including those on integrated demonstrations, antenna design, and system-level performance assessment.
The meeting concluded with an open discussion on upcoming milestones and the planning of the next face-to-face meeting that will be hosted by our partner Anteral in the Spanish city of Pamplona.
As the 6G-REFERENCE project moves towards its demonstration phase, the Birmingham meeting marked an important step in ensuring seamless integration between the project’s technological components and the practical validation of its concepts. By combining immersive communication, precise sensing, and time-sensitive networking, the project continues to push the boundaries of next-generation wireless connectivity.
