To deliver on our European 6G vision for the 2030s, and to tackle opportunities and challenges of increasing magnitude, e.g., sustainability, trustworthiness, green deal efficiency, digital inclusion, there is need for a flagship project, towards the elaboration of a holistic 6G network platform and system. To fill this need, Hexa-X-II is proposed with the ambition of being this flagship project, and of inspiring the world for digital transformation through novel 6G services. Hexa-X-II will work, beyond enabler-oriented research, to optimized systemization, early validation, and proof-of-concept; work will progress from the 6G key enablers that connect the human, physical, and digital worlds, as explored in Hexa-X, to advanced technology readiness levels, including key aspects of modules / protocols / interfaces / data. Hexa-X II includes: (a) the provision of advanced / refined use cases, services, and requirements, ensuring value for society; (b) the delivery of the 6G platform blueprint, which will encompass enhanced connectivity for 6G services, mechanisms realizing the “networks beyond communications” vision (sensing, computing, trustworthy AI), efficient network management schemes; (c) the realization of extended validation at system and component level; (d) actions for global impact, while assuring strategic autonomy in critical areas for the EU. Europe is starting from the pole position with 6G research and is leading wireless network technologies today. Now is the time to leverage our joint research ambition with a flagship project that will lead the R&D effort towards end-to-end systemization and validation. The Hexa-X-II flagship is a unique effort and a holistic vision, of a 6G system of integrated technology enablers, which accomplish “beyond the sum of the parts”, and of a “network beyond communications” platform for disruptive economic / environmental / societal impact; these are vital for establishing the European 6G technology leadership!

The MultiX project aims to revolutionize the 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) design and operation by developing a pioneering MultiX fusion Perceptive 6G-RAN system (MP6R) that will support an integrated multi-sensor, multi-static, multi-band, and multi-technology paradigm to enable multi-sensorial perception for future 6G sensing applications. The MP6R builds on top of three innovation pillars: i) MultiX Perception System (MPS) that introduces 3 levels of sensing functions into the RAN stack to support multi-sensor, multi-band, multi-static, and multi-technology Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), following a streamlined functional split architecture to enable a fully flexible ISAC deployment in 6G-RAN and to facilitate vendors to extend their RAN stack to support sensing in a plug & play manner; ii) MP6R controller (MP6RC) that extends the RAN control plane functionalities to coordinate and control multi-technology integration (including 3GPP, non-3GPP, and other sensor technologies such as Radar, LiDAR, camera, etc.), while considering new connectivity approaches as well as mobility challenges for sensing and localization services; and iii) Data Access and Security Hub (DASH) designed as a novel RAN data plane entity that aggregates multi-sensor data of diverse technologies, providing secure data access, processing, storage, and exposure, ensuring data privacy and trustworthiness, and that can be fully distributed throughout the data plane wherever needed in the 6G-RAN. The proposed MP6R RAN design, and a set of other selected innovations, will be validated and demonstrated in two specific Proof-of-Concepts (PoCs) targeting TRL 4-5: PoC#1) Multi-layer Network Digital Twin for Industrial Manufacturing and PoC#2) Contact-free eHealth Monitoring at Home Environment. In addition, MultiX also aims to shape 6G standardization for achieving maximum sustainability and impact by contributing to relevant SDOs, including 3GPP, IEEE, ETSI ISAC.

6G-Machine Intelligence based Radio Access Infrastructure (6G-MIRAI) aims at developing reliable and robust AI-native wireless communication systems that enable the practical exploitation of the full potential of the latest physical layer technological advances, especially cell-free massive MIMO, and of next-generation virtualized and potentially disaggregated radio access networks (RANs). To achieve this goal, 6G-MIRAI will rely on extensive know-how from established industry players and academic partners from both the EU and Japan. The overall goal of 6G-MIRAI is deconstructed into four main objectives: (O1) Reliable and robust AI-ML techniques for future wireless communications; (O2) Practical AI-native design of next-generation radio access networks; (O3) Common EU-JP platform for data, benchmarking, and validation; and (O4) Aligned EU-JP strategy on future standardization efforts. These objectives align with the EU HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-05 call requirements, focusing on the evolution of Radio Access Networks (RAN) for 6G to pave the way for future advancements towards AI-native radio access networks. All four objectives will contribute to aligning views on the radio interface and RAN concepts between the EU and Japan, and between main industry and academic institutions in the EU. 6G-MIRAI objectives will be achieved through five interconnected research and technology items: (RTI1) Realistic channel and hardware models to enable the AI-native air interface; (RTI2) Practical AI-based physical layer designs; (RTI3) Scalable AI-based network coordination; (RTI4) Evolved AI-ready architecture designs; and (RTI5) AI-oriented data management, testing, and proof-of-concept. These RTIs will enrich the technological portfolio of all involved partners and the 6G ecosystem, since they will have a direct impact on standardization, IP generation, and scientific publications.

The 6G-SHINE project will pioneer the main technology components for in-X wireless subnetworks, short range low power radio cells to be installed in a wide set of vertical and consumer entities like robots, vehicle, production modules, classrooms, for the sake of supporting extreme communication requirements in terms of latency, reliability, or data rates. 6G-SHINE will leverage the opportunities offered by the peculiar deployment characteristics of such short range subnetworks, for a highly performant yet cost-efficient radio design that allow to bring wireless connectivity to a lever of pervasiveness which has never been experienced earlier. 6G-SHINE copes with topics "New IoT components and devices" and "New physical layers and associated protocols" of strand B-01-03 in the SNS work programme. Research will span physical layer, medium access control protocols, radio resource management of these in-X subnetworks, as well as connection with a broader 6G 'network of networks'. The performance of the designed solutions will be analyzed via simulations, and -for selected technologies- over demonstrator platforms. The project will result in a broad set of technology solutions that will be disseminated via scientific publications. Also, the designed solutions will be brought to future 6G standardization, and will be used in future telecommunication equipment and networks. The consortium consists of 12 partners that together bring essential expertise to each of the identified technologies with a mixture of academic institutions and industry players with a strong research department, representing the essential parts of the value chain of wireless short range communications.