6G-TERARIS is a 24-months research project focusing on the use of sub-terahertz (THz) and THz carrier frequencies in future wireless networks aided by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs). The project leverages the tool of stochastic geometry to model propagation channels in RIS-empowered wireless communications at the sub-THz and THz frequencies, and to derive system design guidelines. The project aims at deriving closed-form expressions for key performance metrics such as rate and energy efficiency, and use these expressions to develop resource allocation algorithms optimizing such metrics. The resulting system analysis and design methodology will be then applied to innovative network deployments, providing for the first time insights and results on user-centric cell-free massive MIMO systems and on ultra-massive MIMO architectures operating at THz frequencies. During the project, the researcher will learn and adopt tools from optimization theory, statistical signal processing, probability theory, and stochastic geometry to model and optimize THz-based wireless communication systems. The project will be carried out by the researcher at the University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale (Italy), under the supervision of Prof. Stefano Buzzi. Furthermore, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Berlin (Germany) will host the researcher for a six-months secondment aimed at experimental validation of the developed channel model and signal processing algorithms. The applying researcher is Dr. Maryam Olyaee, currently a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Malaga (Spain).

The increasing demand for bandwidth hungry applications in modern communication networks has led to the proliferation of radar and communication systems in integrated radar-sensing and communication networks in order to improve the effectiveness of the limited spectral resources. However, it turns out that, much more benefits could be harvested regarding both the sensing and communication services through such integration between the two systems. The overarching goal of the radar sensing, communication, and learning (RaSeCoL) project is to design, analyze and validate innovative dual functional radar sensing and communication networks, to achieve improved communication quality, spectrum efficiency, and energy efficiency for the communication service while achieving accurate estimation for the sensing parameters for the sensing service through learning from the environment and massive data collected from such integrated networks. The project will introduce an integrated network architecture enabling both radar sensing and communication capabilities by implementing devices that act as both radar sensor and communication base station. Novel transceiver algorithms and signal coordination procedures will be conceived, and new sensing parameters estimation approaches from the complex combined sensing-communication signals will be targeted taking into consideration different modulation and multiple access schemes. The project will be carried out by the Experienced Researcher (ER) at the University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale (Italy), under the supervision of Prof. Stefano Buzzi. Furthermore, Huawei Mathematical and Algorithmic Research Center in Paris (France) will host the ER for a six-months secondment. The applying ER is Dr. Mohamed Elmeligy, currently a post-doctoral researcher at the college of information engineering, Shenzhen University, China.

IUCCF is a 24-months research project focusing on the intelligent design of future cellular wireless data networks. The project leverages on the concepts of ultra-dense network deployments, cloud-based implementations of radio access networks, and of cell-free, user-centric architecture. The aim is to be able to cope with the difficult challenges of future 5G and beyond-5G wireless networks, which will be required to provide ultra-high data-rates, to support a very large number of devices, to provide ultra-reliable and low-latency communications to specific applications, and to operate with the highest levels of energy efficiency. The project will explore the potentialities of the user-centric cell-free massive MIMO concept, where the antennas are distributed, in the form of simple access points (APs), in the service area instead of being collocated at a cell-center. In addition to the use of fixed APs (FAPs), as in traditional cell-free massive MIMO system, the project will introduce also moving APs in the form of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This scenario poses many issues related to network management and resource allocation schemes that should be considered. During the project, the ER will learn and adopt tools from machine learning, distributed optimization and statistical signal processing to optimize and add intelligence at both network core and edge in order to tackle the challenges of such a distributed autonomous system. The project will be carried out by the ER at the University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale (Italy), under the supervision of Prof. Stefano Buzzi. Furthermore, Nokia Bell-Labs Research Center in Dublin (Ireland) will host the ER for a six-months secondment. The applying ER is Dr. Mohamed Elwekeil, currently a post-doctoral researcher at the college of information engineering, Shenzhen University, China.

In our modernized era, beyond-5G and 6G wireless systems will be key to satisfying crucial society demands. The new challenging 6G KPI, the renewed need for sustainable and green networks, and the introduction of AI and sensing, evinces the necessity of incorporating new technologies and of designing novel solutions. In that sense, cell-free massive MIMO, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), and edge intelligence are anticipated to be key technologies in the 6G era. DIRACFEC is a 24-months research project that thus concentrates on the Design of Intelligent RIS-Aided Cell-Free networks for Energy-efficient Coexistence between evolved eMBB (eMBB+) and evolved mMTC (mMTC+). More specifically, considering user-centric architectures and distributed multiple antenna deployments, we will present a set of multiple access schemes, edge intelligence techniques, and transmission strategies that optimize the energy efficiency in a heterogeneous service environment, aiming at the coexistence of eMBB+ and mMTC+ services. We will conceive mathematical frameworks to model dense networks where several RISs are controlled by multiple antenna access points. Then, to boost the ultimate performance, we will design the aforementioned approaches for different types of data traffic under the assumption of imperfect channel knowledge. These solutions will be evaluated using numerical and industry level system-level simulations in practical setups. The project will be carried out by the researcher at the University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale (Italy), under the supervision of Prof. Stefano Buzzi. Furthermore, Nokia Bell Labs (France) will host the researcher for a six-months secondment aimed at validation of the developed solutions on industry level system simulators. The applying researcher is Dr. Sergi Liesegang, a fresh PhD graduate from the Politechnic University of Barcelona (Spain).